Dark Intent
by SkyeFox
Summary: Daughter of the Prince, Autumn Dubrinsky, is kidnapped in the middle of the day. Twenty years later she is found as the captive of Xavier the most hated of enemies. DominicxOC written after Dark Curse. Rating will go up later.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The shockwaves of violence shook the small community. Five men; all armed to the hilt with guns and archaic tools of superstition. The sun was high in the sky, the prime time to attack their self imposed enemy. No one would stand in the way of their objective; not human, nor psychic, and most certainly not the parents of the infant they stole from her crib.

The baby screamed her fear of the men, flailing her small arms and legs in a desperate attempt to escape them. The men skirted around the bleeding body on the ground. They would rather spend a little time making him suffer. The man gasped for air and grabbed at one of their ankles as they passed. "No." He said through the film of blood in his mouth.

The man kicked him away with a sneer. "Traitor."

"Let's go." The leader of the men said glancing at the sun high above them. "We have to get to the airport ASAP. Don't need to give these blood-sucking bastards a chance to catch up."

They sped through roads in their stolen cruiser. Pushing the limits of the car and themselves. The infant had exhausted herself from crying and fell into a fitful sleep in the backseat.

The men knew only one goal at that moment. To get to the drop off point before the sun set. An unknown presence urged them faster and faster as the sun started it's slow decent to the horizon. Demons seemed to nip at them, to chase their car as they raced against time. Fear grew in them but as much as the forest tried to stop them, they could not bring themselves to stop. They had to answer those insidious whispers. And the whispers demanded to have this baby.

They didn't even feel a breath of reprieve when they finally pulled into the small local airport. Only one plane was prepared to leave, a private jet with mysteriously lost paperwork. The pilot wasn't the usual face behind the controls but nobody seemed to notice. A man came out of the plane and met the other five on the runway. They handed the infant over to the new man.

He took the infant into the plane, not even flinching when he heard five simultaneous gunshots followed by the sound of all five men hitting the ground. He strapped the baby into a special seat and strapped himself into the co-pilots chair. "Let's get out of here before they blast us out of the sky." He said as mist startled rolling across the runway. The sun was still in the air but only just. The edge of the glowing orb had begun to warp and touch the horizon.

Clouds were building at an alarming rate. The pilot wasted no time to take off. The plane was pushed to go as fast as possible. To leave the Carpathian Mountains far behind them.

As the sun finally sank into the ground dozens of geysers of dirt exploded deep in caves and secret chambers all over the Mountain range. The mist grew darker and a storm swept up from nowhere to rage over the entire area. Everyone could feel the pure rage that rolled off of the mountainside.

Pairs of glowing red eyes streaked after the plane, desperate to catch it. But the pilot was heading west, towards the sun, and they couldn't pursue it through the harsh sunlight.

A beastly roar shook the mountains to their very core, beneath the roar a wail of despair.

Mist streamed into the house that still echoed with tremors of violence. The mist shimmered and three tall figures stepped out and into the open. A man with pained black eyes surveyed the room before kneeling next to the gasping man. A woman with long black hair and deep blue-purple eyes bit back a sob. The man spared her a glance before reaching out to grab her hand in his.

He pressed a gentle kiss to her hand. "We will get her back, Raven." He whispered, almost too low even for them to hear. "I swear it." Raven nodded, biting back her sounds of despair.

The man held onto her hand as the second man knelt next to him. The second man had slashing silver eyes and a grim look set on his stony face. He rolled the wounded man over and took in the six neatly placed holes in the man's chest. The man gasped again, struggling to breath through quickly flooding lungs. He turned his eyes to the first man desperately. "Mikhail! I…I'm sorry…I…c-couldn't-"

"Hush now." Mikhail whispered the command. "We know you tried. And we are grateful for that."

Mikhail exchanged a glance with the silver-eyed man. _He will not survive, Mikhail._

_He must, Gregori._

The silver-eyed man was silent for a moment. _Then he must be converted._

The man coughed, "Oh…great…you t-two are…talking…talking t-to each other…right? Th-that can't…can't be g-good."

Mikhail spared the man a glance and put a hand on his chest, easing his breathing ever so slightly. "There is only one was to save you, Gary. But we must convert you to do so."

"The life of a Carpathian is not easy. Especially for our males." Gregori said quietly.

Gary coughed a bit and closed his eyes. They could tell he was listening to something. Most likely a sweet voice in his mind, begging him to survive. Gabrielle had made her attachment to Gary quite clear. Gary coughed again. "Alright."

Gregori nodded and swiftly took control of the situation. He seized Gary's mind with his own, keeping the man tethered to life. He instantly exposed his wrist and sliced it open with a sharpened nail.

As Gregori dealt with Gary, Mikhail straightened and wrapped a comforting arm around Raven's slim waist. _She is alive my dearest. And we will get her back where we will never let her out of our sight again. _His words were a butterfly's wings inside her head but they did little to alleviate the grief.

Dozens of voices rose in outrage at the kidnapping. Voices of family and friends, companions, artists and warriors, men and women. They all could feel the despair ripping at Mikhail and Raven. The knowledge had been shared and spread to all of their people. Almost as one voice they all swore to do everything within their considerable power to ensure that the infant was back with her parents safe and sound.

The infant's name was spread through the community. The stolen child, Autumn Dubrinsky, Third child of the Prince of their people Mikhail and his lifemate Raven. Every second that ticked by, every heartbeat that passed was another moment that Autumn got further away from them.


	2. Chapter 1

~*~*~*~

_Nightmare._ The word shimmered through the air. She knew what it meant. One of the few words she could comprehend in this strange and gory world she was immersed in.

She was slow in opening her eyes. Her eyelids felt like heavy marble doors that simply didn't want to open. The smell invaded her consciousness. It was the smell of rotting flesh and corrupted blood. It made her want to vomit but she clamped down on the urge with a will made of pure steel.

When she finally managed to open deep navy eyes she saw nothing but darkness. But she was not surprised; she had grown used to seeing this. Nor was she surprised when he started to speak to her without checking to see if she was awake. Just as she knew who was on the other side of the steel blocking her vision he knew she was awake.

"And how are we feeling today, my dear?" He asked. It was a well-established routine. As was her silence. He wasn't bothered by it.

Suddenly, the close walls jerked and metal spikes dug deeper into her body, making her cry out in pain and fresh blood to ooze from her wounds. The blood followed the dried paths on her too thin body to drip into a funnel where it was collected in a goblet.

She could hear him. Slurping and relishing in the stolen crimson liquid. The sounds made her stomach twist and heave but again she forced her body to relax. She knew she was lucky he found her too dangerous to drink from directly. She had gained too much power through what little of her sacred bloodline she was able to keep in her body. She had already shown her power on occasion and it had cost him several dozen troops.

There was a small clink as he set the goblet down on the table. She listened with rapt attention as she heard him muttering the reversal spells to release the chains she knew were locked around the Iron Maiden that she was imprisoned within. The chains fell away with a mind-shattering chorus of clanks.

Slowly the door to the Iron Maiden opened, the spikes leaving open wounds as they left her body. The sudden increase of light made her wince, her sensitive eyes not yet used to it. But it was only artificial light; it didn't burn her skin like she knew the sun would. He had proved that to her. Leaving her out in the sun for just a few moments was more than enough to prove his point.

She didn't have the strength to fight him as he yanked her roughly out of the device and across the room. Her frail body slammed into the wall of roughly hewn stone. She barely made a sound. She stared at his decaying face as he fastened shackles that burned like acid to her already scarred wrists. He snarled at her as he noticed her stare. She didn't make much indication of having noticed.

The once handsome man had fallen way to his own dark deeds. His teeth turned a rotted black. His hair was stringy and his skin an unhealthy gray that sagged off his bones and seemed to be held to his body by sheer will alone. But his eyes were very much alive. Cold silver steel. The exact same shade as the surgical table he would strap her to before cutting into her for his experiments.

He backed away from her now that she was secured to the wall. "Little witch." He sneered. "I have a new batch for you to test." He said all pretenses gone now that the door of the Iron Maiden had been opened. He was never able to pretend to be civil when faced with those deep blue eyes. It was as if she saw straight into him, despite never speaking.

He reached into his pocket and withdrew a needle full of dark orange liquid. It was thick and seemed to move as if alive inside of the glass vial that held it. He grabbed her chin and jerked her head to the side, exposing a scarred neck. The needle plunged deep into her neck sending the entire amount of vile liquid into her system. It almost immediately had an effect.

Her eyes went wide as fire rippled over her skin making her shift uncomfortably. Whimpers rose in her throat as her muscles twisted and gave painful spasms in rejection of the poisonous substance. She cried out as the pain increased ripping her body from one tense position to another. It felt like her very body was fighting against itself. Red lines streamed from her eyes and stained her sunken cheeks as her insides twisted and cramped.

Unbearable heat swept her body in waves. Her stomach gave a heave and then another but nothing was there to expel and the action only served to cause even more pain. More pain swept over her body as it she was unable to control her movements, even with her undeniable will.

She heard his amusement. He always did love to see her in pain. Another scream tore at her throat and she felt her teeth lengthen in desperation. Something seemed to be moving on the edges of her vision. A horrible shadow she could not place. Terrified of both the strange illusion and the pain that ripped at her every nerve she did what she had not dared do before. She reached out with her mind.

Her senses were still reeling in pain and she could not concentrate on anything in specific. She screamed in pain just as she linked with someone on the very edges of her range. Her pain funneled outwards at an alarming rate.

Dominic hit his knees at the suddenness of the pain that filled him. It was unbearable, thousands of knives ramming into his body and twisting in his flesh. Dots of ruby appeared on his forehead as he tried to find the source of this attack. He was no fledgling to be tricked with a mere hallucination.

He got to his feet and scanned the area. But nowhere did he sense an enemy. Not that he had really expected to sense one. The Vampires he was dealing with would not attack one they already thought to be one of their own. One that was so close to turning.

Cautiously, he examined the source of the pain that was making it difficult to simply breath. It was coming from somewhere else. Someone else. The source was nearby, probably one of the vampires having 'fun' with his supper. Dominic resisted the urge to stop it. He couldn't put to shame his entire plan now. He was almost done with his task. Soon he would meet the dawn and end his tiresome existence of drab gray.

Another wave of pain washed over him accompanied by a heart-rending scream. For the first time in a very long time, Dominic felt a very real fear grip him. He put his hand to a nearby tree for support as colors and emotions washed over him sending him back to his knees. He was in pain. Afraid. No, he wasn't. _She_ was. His lifemate. The other half of his soul. The light to his darkness.

The beast in him roared to the surface. Every instinct in him screamed to protect her. To find her and destroy whoever caused her such an unbearable pain. She screamed in his mind again and he latched onto the connection. _I am here with you. _He whispered to her. Using the most soothing voice he was capable of as he shouldered the brunt of the pain.

Images flashed in his mind. A child's form of mental speech but enough to know that she was trying to communicate. He simply had to know how to ask the right questions. _Show me who has caused you such pain. _A familiar cruel face swam to his vision. _Xavier. _It was a hiss of contempt. Utter hatred.

The mad mage had raped and killed Dominic's sister and then tortured her descendants. And now he tortured his lifemate as well! The beast rose in him even more sharply as fangs exploded in his mouth and claws dug into the tree trunk.

Suddenly Dominic became aware that the connection with his lifemate was slipping away. She was fading into unconsciousness. _No! You must stay awake, cistri! You must tell me where he is keeping you. _He demanded obedience. Imposed his will even from a distance.

She baulked under the sudden compulsion her own will rising up just as sharply as his had. She fought him at first but her strength quickly drained away and she gave into his demands. Images swam to his mind. A cave filled with unpleasant things. An Iron Maiden appeared in the forefront of the image before the images faded to black.

Dominic fought back the beast. Several dozen vampires and Xavier were nearby and his lifemate's safety depended on being able to get her to a safe place as quickly and with as few confrontations as possible. He strode towards the cave system that he knew most of the vampires inhabited. Chances were Xavier would be using a deeper, yet connected cave for his own secondary fortress.

Since his ice fortress in the Carpathian Mountains had been infiltrated not once but twice he had started moving the majority of his experiments to this cave system further away from the hunters and his female descendants who seemed very capable of thwarting his safeguards.

The vampires gave Dominic wide berth as he easily slid deeper into the caves. The Dragonseeker line was formidable and most of these unclean were still far too young to think of questioning him. He barely spared them a glance, his every thought on finding the chamber his lifemate was being held in.

The deeper into the caves he traveled the colder it became. He regulated his body heat with barely even a thought. It was second nature to him after so many centuries. The smell of minerals was heavy and the drip of water sliding down dagger-like protrusions of rock filled the small corridor.

The inside of the mountain was a veritable maze, some of the most dangerous cave systems in the world. The path Dominic was taking quickly begun to narrow and abruptly stopped. Dominic's keen green eyes studied the rock carefully. There was a tiny crack in the rock face but it clearly went to the other side as a minuet amount of air was passing through it.

Dominic's form shimmered before breaking apart into a fine mist. Dominic studied the room carefully before he reformed. The lack of safe guards was beginning to worry him. Xavier was not one to leave his lair unguarded, especially while inside of it.

He reformed standing on a ledge above a large still lake. The ceiling was many dozens of feet above the water. Dominic studied the surface of the water carefully. He could see nothing moving in the water but he wasn't fooled. This was most definitely some sort of safe guard. It was not particularly unnatural per say but he simply couldn't imagine it not being used as one. An excellent safeguard is one that is placed over something already natural so that it blended into its environment. And Xavier had excellent safeguards.

Dominic's senses flared out to scan every surface of the cave. There was an exit to the next chamber below the still water. Dominic took deliberate steps as he approached the water's edge. He didn't touch the black glass surface as he reached the rough, half-eroded, rocks that made up the lake's shore.

The water was full to the brim with minerals from the eroded rocks surrounding it. It was too mineral rich for any natural creatures to survive in. Dominic took his time as he circled the lake, getting closer to the underwater entrance. If he made a mistake now it could cost his lifemate her life and in turn his.

Slight movement from the water caught Dominic's eye. Small ripples spread outward to break the surface of the nearby water. He froze in place, waiting for an attack. The lake returned to perfectly smooth and didn't stir as Dominic stood in his spot.

Dawn was fast approaching. Dominic could feel it. He would need to use the sun to his advantage. If he could get past this chamber than he would find a safe place to rest for the day, rise early and hopefully escape with his lifemate before the vampires could get the chance to rise. He couldn't fight both the vampires and Xavier's safeguards.

Dominic slowly started to move again. The ripples returned, radiating outwards with every step the hunter took. Dominic narrowed his eyes. He must have already triggered the safeguard. But until the safeguard actively tried to stop him there wasn't much he could do to counteract it.


	3. Chapter 2

**This is a shorter chapter but I'm still trying to find my ideal chapter length. Thanks to those who've commented so far. I really appreciate it.**

~*~*~*~

The water was rippled and followed Dominic as he approached the edge of the water. The entrance to the next cave was directly in front of him, several feet under the surface of the water. He didn't have much choice in the matter; he would have to go into the lake in order to get past this chamber and that much closer to his lifemate. Another mental scan of the room assured him that nothing else had changed.

Not a flicker of concern showed on his face as he took the first step into the lake. The water didn't react abnormally. It wasn't until he was waist deep in the icy cold water that anything unexpected happened at all.

The water swirled around Dominic, as if he was standing directly over a drain. The water pulled at his clothing and made the rocks beneath his feet unstable. Dominic remained calm as the water's flow started to speed up even more. He could feel tiny creatures in the water that bit at his skin, causing pinpricks of blood to escape into the steadily moving water.

Dominic wasted no time in healing the hundreds of tiny wounds, even as more appeared. The water continued to try and drag his feet out from under him. The water and whatever tiny creatures were in it were trying to bleed him dry through hundreds of tiny wounds as opposed to larger wounds. A lesser hunter may have not noticed until it was too late, but Dominic was an ancient. He wove a protective shield around his body so that the tiny jaws could no longer reach his skin.

The water was still swirling, making the once still lake into a veritable whirlpool. Rocks from the shore were being dragged into the water and tossed around, making them deadly projectiles under the cold water.

Before Dominic could deal with the rapidly moving water something below his feet shifted and pulled, dragging the hunter under the water. A long tentacle with bright spots of bioluminescence shot through the rocks and latched onto Dominic's ankle. Then another around his arm. As more tentacles erupted from the lakebed Dominic wasted no time in shifting his form to escape them.

Making his body thinner Dominic was able to slip out of their grasp. He dodged around the searching appendages and speeding rocks as he focused his energy on the lakebed that hid the strange creature. He brought the ground crushing together, leaving no room for anything to survive.

The source of the tentacles screeched a high-pitched noise of pain. The tentacles retreated and shriveled into the rocks. With that taken care of, Dominic made his way towards the exit to the next chamber.

The speed of the water continued to build. Dominic found himself dodging several large boulders as they were hurled through the water. Dominic put on a sudden burst of speed, making it into the tunnel that led to the next chamber.

It was pitch black inside the tunnel. The tunnel itself twisted and turned until it was unclear if Dominic was going up or down. The water was getting substantially colder the further Dominic traveled. Tiny sheets of ice were clinging to the rock walls. The need for air was pushed aside. He could survive without oxygen for a short time if he really needed, as long as he stayed calm.

Suddenly, there was a gentle stirring in his mind. She was waking up. _Cistri. _Again he used the most soothing, black velvet voice he was capable of. _Cistri, I am coming for you. _

He could sense her confusion. Xavier's face swam inside his head again. Followed almost immediately by a blood stained goblet and chains.

Dominic fought down the beast in him that roared for vengeance. _He will not harm you again, Cistri. I swear it. _

Hundreds of images flickered past his sight, making his stomach clench unpleasantly. Before he could question the meaning of the images his own voice replayed in his mind. _I swear it. I swear it. I. I. _The images swirled again, none of them staying for more than the space of a blink.

It took Dominic a moment to understand that she was trying to ask who he was. Though her method of asking confused him, he put it out of his mind for the moment. He could later question such things when they were far away from this place. _I am Dominic of the Dragonseekers._ A huge fire-breathing dragon appeared in his mind, not unlike the birthmark he bore on his abdomen. _Yes, my family associates strongly with the dragon. _

There was a long pause before the next image appeared in his mind. A bright white field. A dark black spot dropped onto the crisp white, spreading quickly to take over the white area completely. The dragon appeared again this time with black marks marring gem-like amber scales. The dragon screamed in pain as the black spread across it's massive body.

Dominic's brow furrowed. If he understood the images she was showing him, his lifemate could sense the darkness in him. Suddenly the tunnel took a sharp turn upwards and Dominic could see a faint light marking the exit.

As Dominic broke the surface of the water he let his lungs function normally again, dragging cool air into them instantly. He pulled himself onto dry land and looked around carefully.

The room he was now in was a grand gallery of rock pillars. Stalactites and stalagmites filled the room with a sense of being in a giant creature's gaping maw. The dragon appeared in his mind again, laying down with green eyes watching like a cat stalking his prey. Dominic paused in his evaluation of the room. The same images from before repeated. She was questioning the darkness in him.

Dominic turned back to the room, eyes and mind both working to discover any hidden traps. _I will not harm you, Cistri. I have lived long and the darkness is strong in me, but I will never harm you._

A small creature appeared in his mind. He recognized it as one of the parasites that he had deliberately ingested so that the vampires would let him wander amongst them without suspicion. _They allow me to spy on the vampires. _Xavier's face appeared. _And Xavier. _He agreed.

She seemed to accept his explanation and the barrage of images faded away. Dominic returned to his examination of the room. Small chambers were placed off to the side of the long gallery. Periodically giant statues were carved from the pillars, each depicting a different gruesome creature from mythology. The floor was covered in carvings, which spiraled into a tight circle in the middle of the room.

Another image appeared in Dominic's mind, the sun rising over a black horizon. He could almost feel his skin burning and his eyes swelling. _Yes, Cistri, I know. And I must rest while the sun is in the sky. I will awaken as soon as possible and continue. _The sun was sapping his strength, making it harder to move despite being far underground. He was loath to stop when he had not yet reached his lifemate's side but he needed to save his strength for what he was certain would not be an easy escape.

Dominic looked around the room for a suitable place to rest. There were a few spots of soil near the base of some of the pillars and the walls. He started towards one of them that would be large enough to hold his body. Suddenly, there was a flash of red in his mind, bringing him up short. Another image appeared in his mind following the flash of red. A strange symbol he had never seen before. A reptilian eye within a black diamond shape. A splash of blood followed the symbol, as did the golden dragon lying dead on the ground.

He scanned the area even more carefully but found nothing to indicate any danger was lurking nearby. _What is it? _He asked curiously. Clearly his lifemate knew more about the dangers Xavier had placed in these caves than he did.

The images repeated in his mind. The dead dragon repeating the most often out of all of them. Dominic turned to look at the different spots of soil. The eye and diamond flashed in his mind every time his eyes traveled over an area. Dominic frowned again. Somehow she was tapping into what he was seeing. She was able to maneuver around his safeguards in his mind and yet she was finding it difficult to verbalize her questions. She was such an intriguing little enigma. But there was still the issue of finding a safe resting place before the sun sapped all of his ability to move._ Where would you suggest I rest? _He asked, unable to keep his voice as strictly neutral as he had wanted.

He couldn't help but find a small bit of humor in the situation. Here he was, an ancient hunter, and his lifemate was trying to tell him where it was best to rest while the sun was high in the sky. At the very least it was unexpected.

To answer his question another symbol appeared in his mind. Four lines in a pinwheel-like pattern. Dominic examined the room and found the symbol carved into a nearby wall. The entire area around the symbol was solid stone. Not something he could rest in. Before he could point this out however, a door appeared in his mind. Dominic came closer to the wall and ran his hand over the rough surface.

After a bit of searching he found a small panel to one side. When he pressed against the panel the wall slid open, revealing a small chamber of rich earth. An image appeared when he looked at the dirt. A face of a vampire that Dominic recognized as one of the Malinov brothers. _This is where he stays? _A flash of green was his answer. _Is he here now? _A flash of red.

Dominic smiled. _Thank you, Cistri. _He sent her waves of warmth and comfort to combat what he was certain was uncomfortable conditions of her prison. With a wave of his hand, the earth opened up. The space was large enough for him to lie comfortably. He floated down into the opening. As the earth started to fill back in the shallow grave he set his strongest safeguards. _Sleep, Beloved, and know that I will save you from this place. _He commanded. Exhausted, she slipped into unconsciousness almost instantly. Dominic reluctantly followed. Slipping into the death-like sleep of his kind.


	4. Chapter 3

**I fixed an error in the Prologue where I typed Juliette's name instead of Gabrielle's I can't believe I did that...sometimes my fingers take on a life of their own I swear... Again thanks to all who've reviewed this story. That really gets me pumped up to write the next chapter. Also, I don't know if any of you do this or not but I prefer to read these stories in 1/2 page width...in full size it just stretches everything to be really thin looking paragraphs. Just a thought if that annoys you like it does me...**

~*~*~*~

The sun was still over an hour from fully setting when Dominic's eyes snapped open under the earth. The first thing he did was to check his lifemate. Probing the connection they shared all he found was darkness. Dominic's heart froze, feeling as if a large iron hand had squeezed and refused to let go. He couldn't lose her! Not when he had just found her! Not by Xavier's hand! Not when he had already lost so many people he loved to him!

Xavier. This was all his fault! He had done this! The beast roared in Dominic's head, tainting his vision with a red tinge of rage. Fangs exploded in his mouth as flames leapt up in his emerald green eyes. A low growl built in his throat. Xavier would be made to pay for all he'd done! First he had stolen Dominic's beloved sister from him and now his lifemate!

The door to the secret chamber slid open at Dominic's command and the hunter was instantly out the door. He broke into a stream of mist as he streaked through the gallery of stone pillars and carved monsters. He barely spared the room a glance as he moved towards the exit. He would waste no more time. Hunger was beginning to claw at him, strengthening the beast's roar.

Outside of the mountain a storm was building, lightening and thunder already sending animals rushing to the safety of their dens. The wind raged, snapping limbs off of ancient trees and knocking loose rocks from their perches on the mountainside.

The tunnel forked into two directions and Dominic hurried down the left fork. At this point, he didn't care if he had to search the entire tunnel system. Any safeguards that were in his way he dismantled with barely even a thought.

Suddenly, something caught his eye. Dominic stopped in the doorway to a room that held an Iron Maiden that was chained shut with links as thick as his wrist. Dominic inhaled, smelling old and new blood. He took a step inside the room and glanced around briefly. Chains were attached to one wall, a large surgeon's table was pushed against another, and a large cabinet was in the corner.

Dominic's eyes went back to the Iron Maiden. He strode over to it and grabbed the chains. They burned his hand the moment he touched them, sizzling and hissing as he pulled with his considerable strength. The burning of the chains destroyed the cuff of his shirt. Dominic gave one final jerk and the links of the chain broke and the entire length of metal fell to the ground.

Dominic ignored his burns and grabbed the edge of the Iron Maiden's lid. As he opened the lid the smell of fresh blood filled the air, making his own hunger rise sharply. Dominic's breath caught at the sight inside of the device.

She was beautiful, if far too thin and covered in far too much of her own blood. She was made of long lines and pale skin. She wore just a long dirty shirt that came to mid-thigh and looked as if it was once a little girl's dress. Bloody gouges from the spikes covered her body. Her blue-black hair fell to her just past her shoulders and framed her face. Dominic's hand trembled slightly as he brushed a rouge strand of hair away from her face.

Dominic carefully lifted her off of the spikes that dug into her back and pulled her out of her horrid prison. He cradled her limp body in his arms as he knelt down next to the Iron Maiden. "Cistri. Cistri, you must wake up." He whispered as his hand wiped away the traces of blood from her face. "Wake up, Cistri."

Suddenly her heart started to beat, struggling to match the pace his set. Her lips parted slightly as she inhaled. Slowly she opened her eyes to look up at him. Dominic thought his heart might burst at the sight of those deep blue eyes. He could drown in how deep they were.

The dragon appeared in his mind. Dominic nodded. "I am Dominic, Cistri." She gave a soft sigh and closed her eyes.

"I am going to heal you now, Cistri." He muttered before closing his eyes and letting himself become pure light and energy. He didn't have time to heal all of her wounds as he would like but he had to at least stop her from loosing so much blood.

Dominic took his time as he repaired damaged veins and muscles. He would _not _make a mistake. Not with her. Once he was certain that he had stopped her wounds from bleeding he left her body.

"You need blood, Dearest." Dominic said as he exposed his wrist to her. She opened her eyes again as he cut across his wrist with a lengthened nail. "Drink, Cistri, so that we may both live." He filled his voice with a strong compulsion to do as he had ordered.

Even if she had wanted to fight him she didn't have the strength to do so. At the first touch of her lips on his wrist, Dominic's blood ran hot. His body ached for her in a way he had never even conceived of being possible. He held her closer to his chest as he fought down his need of her. Dominic closed his eyes as he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, his fingers tangled in her hair.

He could not believe how sensual such a simple act as feeding had suddenly become. Her soft lips against his skin. Her body cradled in his arms. He clenched his teeth together, trying to resist the urge to claim her right then. She deserved to be fully awake to hear his oath to her. He wanted to look into those bottomless blue eyes as he said it. But as her mouth moved over his heated skin his resolve practically dissolved as if it were never even there. "I claim you as my lifemate. I belong to you. I offer my life for you. I give you my protection, my allegiance, my heart, my soul, and my body. I take into keeping the same that is yours. Your life, happiness, and welfare will be placed above my own for all time. You are my lifemate, bound to me for eternity and always in my care." He could feel the shift as their souls were woven together the way they had been meant to be from the moment of their births. Hundreds of indestructible threads that would always connect them. He softly reiterated the ritual words in the ancient language of all Carpathians as she fed.

Dominic gave her as much blood as he could afford to before gently stopping her. He gently brushed away any trace of blood from her lips with the pad of his thumb. "Rest, Beloved." He muttered as he lifted her easily. "I will get us to safety."

He carried her out of the torture room and started down the corridor. He wouldn't be able to leave the way he had come; he didn't want to risk taking his lifemate into that whirlpool of a lake. He would have to find another exit.

It wasn't long before he came to an enormous cavern. The path he was on turned into a walkway far above the ground of razor sharp rocks. Hundreds of bats that looked far too large to be natural hung from the ceiling. It was only with his superior night-vision that Dominic could see where the path led. He started across the bridge keeping an eye on the bats overhead.

_Have you ever shifted your form before, Cistri?_

A flicker of red. A no. He was beginning to understand the way she used images to communicate mentally. But she was still mostly unaware as to what was going on, the images were not as clear as they had been the night before.

_I will help you should it become necessary to do so. But you must trust me and allow me to hold the image in your mind. _There was no image for her response. _Do you trust me, Dearest? _

There was a long pause and she opened her eyes to look at him in the darkness. He waited for her to come to her own decision. Green began to seep into his mind but it was slow, cautious even. A small smile began to form on his face, the first in a very long while. She trusted him -even if it was cautiously- despite sensing the darkness in him. It was remarkable considering what horrible things she must have endured while held by Xavier. And if he was being completely honest with himself, her trust made him…insanely happy.

Dominic's smile grew and he looked down at her. He marveled at the return of his emotions that allowed him to truly smile for the first time in centuries. And the woman in his arms was the one to give them back to him.

But Dominic could sense her fading back to unconsciousness and if they came to a situation where they _would_ need to shift she had to stay awake. _Cistri…I find myself at a disadvantage. You know my name but I have yet to learn yours. _

A tree appeared in his mind. The leaves were a bright rainbow of colors ranging from greens and reds to yellows and browns. A few leaves fell from the branches of the tree and Dominic could swear he felt a crisp breeze play across his skin. Fall. A flash of red. He was wrong? Suddenly, it occurred to him; you didn't name a child _fall_ but that wasn't the only name for the season. _No…your name is not fall is it, Cistri? It's Autumn. _Green flashed in his mind again.

Dominic smiled again. The name suited her. The season of change and bright colors. The crisp air and the richness of the soil all spoke to the renewal of the earth. He knew many humans thought Autumn was a season where thing died and decomposed but it was so much more than that. Through the falling of the leaves the soil would be enriched, letting new life form and be nourished. Yes, Autumn was a fine name for the woman who had brought emotion, color…life back to him. Dominic cast a long look over Autumn.

He knew of only one Carpathian who had such a name. Even hidden within the ranks of the vampires he had heard of the kidnapping. It had been thought a great score against the hunters to lose a six-month-old girl. Especially the daughter of the Prince. Dominic reached out along a private path. He had been given the Prince's blood shortly after the attack on the Prince's home when he was severely wounded keeping a shield open for Natalya to remove. He would need help to heal Autumn and he could think of no better to do so than his lifemate's own family.

_Mikhail._

There were several minutes of silence before he received and answer. _Dominic. I had not thought to hear from you again. Unless you have news of the vampires?_

_I have news, Mikhail, but not of our enemy._

_Then, what news do you have?_

Dominic paused to look, once again at Autumn. He couldn't help himself; she was just so amazingly beautiful. A goddess even amongst such a place of death. _I have found your daughter._

_Autumn…you are certain?_

Dominic could hear the anxiousness, the hope, in his voice. _Positive. She shares your lifemate's bone structure. But she is very injured and there are several vampires that will follow us as the sun sets. I will need assistance._

_I am forever in your debt, Dominic. Long have we hoped for news of Autumn. Gregori, Aiden and Jacques are coming now._

_There is no debt to be repaid, Mikhail. _Dominic assured him.

There was a slight pause of uncertainty. _There is…something you have not said. _Mikhail prompted.

Dominic cast a glance around him as he passed by several of the mutated bats. He wouldn't like to arouse them. Only after he had passed by unscathed did he answer the Prince's unspoken question. _…She is my lifemate._

There was an even longer pause from the Prince. _I am…glad that my daughter has a lifemate as honorable as you, Dominic. And that you have found a lifemate after so many centuries alone. I am certain you will make Autumn very happy. Raven wishes to offer her congratulations as well, though would like to remind you she has had little time with her daughter and would not appreciate you 'whisking her away to be locked in your tower' I believe is how she phrased it._

Dominic almost grinned. It wasn't a bad idea truth be told. _I shall highly doubt I'd get away with it._

_Most likely not. _Mikhail agreed. _Now…I sense that you and my daughter are not yet safe. Get as far from the vampires as is possible. Gregori, Aiden and my brother are on their way and will meet you._

Dominic muttered his acknowledgement before closing the mental path and returning the entirety of his attention to maneuvering around safeguards that blocked his way to open air where he could move quickly to join with the others. 


	5. Chapter 4

**You all are soooo keeping me pumped for this story. I usually don't upload a new chapter every day but all these wonderful reviews are just keeping me inspired. And thanks to all those who 'Alert'-ed my story. I is all warm and fuzzy inside.**

~*~*~*~

Dominic was only a dozen feet from the end of the bridge when the bats begun to stir. He froze and turned slightly to see the creatures drop from the ceiling and spread their boney wings wide. They shrieked in such high-pitch that it sent Dominic's senses reeling for a moment. The bats dove at him with too powerful jaws filled with dagger-like teeth.

Dominic seized control of Autumn's mind instantly and they both dissolved as the bats swarmed their location. He was certain that Autumn would be startled by the suddenness of the attack, frightened of the creatures that sought their deaths, but she took every action in stride as she stayed a silent shadow in his mind. In fact, she didn't seem bothered at all.

He didn't bother to reform as he focused on the rapidly moving bats. They were searching for him and Autumn, intent on killing them. It was a simple task for him to set all of them alight with conjured fire. They fell from the sky, screeching and wailing with their horribly high-pitched voices. Dominic almost lost his concentration on the form of mist. Not even vampires made noises quite as disturbing as those bats did in their death throws.

Suddenly the rocks started to shift and break apart, triggered –more than likely- by the screeching death of the bats. Huge spikes of rock fell from the ceiling and shattered on the ground below. The entire bridge started to collapse and an avalanche of rocks started to fall across the exits. The whole room was being destroyed and if Dominic didn't act very quickly they'd be trapped inside.

Still in the form of mist, Dominic put on a burst of speed to escape the room before it became sealed. He reformed in the hallway as the last of the rocks slammed into place and blocking the way back. He wasn't concerned though; he didn't particularly wish to go back the way they came anyway. He brushed a hand over Autumn's cheek, "Are you alright, Cistri?" Green flooded his vision. An obvious yes. He was slightly worried at her acceptance of such dangers; she was far too accustomed to violence for his liking. That would be changing very shortly. She would never be in danger again. Not while he was protecting her.

Dominic looked around the short corridor. There was nothing unusual. The sun was beginning to quickly set; the vampires would be able to rise soon. Fortunately, they were near the surface of the mountain. He could sense that they would soon reach an exit. And then they would be rid of this place forever.

The corridor abruptly ended at the base of a tall cliff. A drop-off if you were standing at the top of it. Holding Autumn close to his heart Dominic allowed himself to become lighter than the air itself. Floating them both upwards. The air was becoming fresher, warmer even, the further they moved. They were definitely close to the exit to this horrible place. Dominic took a calm step onto the solid ground and saw that he was faced with another short tunnel.

His footsteps didn't make even the slightest of sounds as he carried Autumn into the next chamber. At the other end of the cramped room he saw the dark purple of the setting sun. Fresh air played across the mouth of the cave, inviting them into the open skies and to their freedom. But even with freedom so nearby, Dominic was wary as he stepped fully into the room.

He had come across far to little trouble. A few bats and a collapsing cave were hardly effective at stopping him. Though he imagined Xavier thought the vampires lurking in the nearby caves would have been able to fend off most intruders. Unfortunately for Xavier, Dominic had long ago infiltrated their group. Every second of every day, the dragon on his abdomen burned and throbbed at how close he was to those who had given up their souls. The parasites in his body ate at his body and soul; Destiny had been very right in the agony the creatures caused. But all of the pain and despair of the past several years seemed to fade away to nothing as he cradled Autumn closer. Being nearby to save her from such a monster as Xavier had been more than worth his own discomfort. Being able to save her when he had not been able to save his sister gave him more strength than he knew he could possess.

Dominic's senses flared outwards as he started across the room, carefully stepping around triggers for safeguards hidden in the rocks and dirt. The entire cave was riff with traps waiting to be sprung but Dominic glided around them. But not all of the safeguards could _be_ avoided. The earth opened up and hundreds of snakes slithered out and started towards them, hissing their hatred. A casual flick of his wrist an the serpents shriveled up, letting out a noxious black smoke that Dominic blew away with a gentle breeze.

He was lucky he was so near the exit. His strength was draining from lack of feeding and from supplying Autumn with so much blood. The sun was setting fast but Dominic refused to hurry. One false step in this room and he could end up killing them both. Or worse, Autumn could be taken from him. He would not allow such a thing to happen.

The room was only perhaps ten feet long but it seemed to stretch on for miles as Dominic wove a serpentine path through hundreds of safeguards. He heard a hissing coming from seemingly nowhere and knew that the vampires were now very aware of him and his rescue of Autumn. It was easy for them to understand betrayal; it was one of the main facets of their existence. They swore their retribution to him in his mind as he finally reached the exit of the cave.

Dominic built up cloud cover as he began to shift his shape. A giant dragon with bright green eyes. An image flashed in his mind. With a smile, he obliged his lifemate, making the scales a brilliant gold. Dominic gathered Autumn closer and leapt from the cliff, opening giant bat-like wings to glide easily on the thermals. A few powerful flaps of his wings and they were quickly heading back towards the Carpathian Mountains and the three males that were coming to aid them. Rain began to fall with almost no warning, diluting their trail from the very start. The sun would be setting very soon and he had to delay the vampires as much as he could. Even a few seconds could mean life or death in this sort of situation. _Gregori, we have escaped the lair._

_I know the landscape of this area well. _Gregori replied. _I spent much time here as a fledgling. There is a cave a number of miles from you that should do well for our purposes._

The location of the cave was instantly provided for Dominic. It was perhaps twenty miles from his current location, an easy distance for him to travel. High in the face of a mountain it should be easily defendable and it had caverns of very rich soil deep within its heart. Everything a group of Carpathians would need. _I shall be there shortly._

The rain beat at the ground and trees as Dominic sped towards the cave he would meet the others at. Cradled next to the softer scales of his underbelly, Autumn was kept dry and warm, sheltered from the storm that Dominic had created.

The dragon on Dominic's belly started to burn with earnest. Several of the vampires were now in pursuit of him and Autumn. A black shape streaked across the sky, aimed at Dominic's delicate wing membranes. In the body of the dragon, Dominic rolled in the sky and avoided the shape.

A dragon was far too big a target and Dominic once again seized control of Autumn's mind to dissolve them both, hiding in the cloud coverage above. An image formed in Dominic's mind as the black shape circled around. A vampire with pitless black eyes and dried blood on his fangs. He recognized the vampire as an older one named Hiram.

The black shape slowed to float effortlessly in the sky, searching for them in the clouds. Dominic was only vaguely surprised to find that the vampire that Autumn showed to him was the same that was below them. Dominic was beginning to think that Autumn was more than usually perceptive, even for a Carpathian.

"Dominic! You have stolen something very precious to us, Dominic!" Hiram shouted to the clouds that he knew they were lurking in. "We will see you burn in the sun for this!"

"I have 'stolen' nothing, Hiram. It was your _Master_ that kidnapped her from her crib those years ago." Dominic's voice echoed from several spots, soft and compelling and impossible to track.

"I am no one's servant!" Hiram hissed. Dominic spied two other vampires, lesser beings, approaching. He could not risk reforming when he had to protect Autumn, nor could he leave her alone while he disposed of the creatures.

Dominic gave a soft laugh. "Then I suppose that crawling on your belly to do Xavier's wishes is no longer being a servant?" _Gregori, your assistance would be appreciated. I haven't the energy to destroy three vampires and protect Autumn all at once._

Hiram hissed again as the other lesser vampires began to circle underneath. "Xavier will grant us our souls back!"

_We are on our way, Dominic. _

"Foolish creature." Dominic said coldly. "None can give to you what you let go of. Not even a lifemate can save you now."

"That brat can give them back!" one of the lesser vampires declared.

The storm jumped to a new level of ferocity, feeding off Dominic's anger. How dare that unclean traitor call his lifemate such a thing! Lightening arced down to slam into the lesser vampire, scoring a devastating hit but missing the heart by a mere inch.

The other two vampires casually regarded their wounded comrade as he fell to the ground, a charred piece of flesh. Hiram looked back to the clouds. "If I didn't know better I'd say you cared for the Prince's daughter."

Dominic ignored the comment. "She cannot give you back your souls, you know this and yet you continue to delude yourselves." He could sense Gregori and the others were close, all he had to do was stall the vampires a few moments longer.

"Perhaps not directly." Hiram said casually. Dominic was momentarily thrown off. He'd never had a vampire…_agree _with him before. "But…she is the daughter of the Prince and as such connected to every one of us. We can be reborn through her…whole."

"Xavier has sworn it to us that one day she will be able to bring our souls back to us. With his help we will be as we once were!" The other lesser vampire said, a note of hysteria in his voice.

If Dominic had a head he would have shaken it. Such foolish ideas that they clung to. They were beyond hope and yet they were so gullible the moment redemption was mentioned. It was little wonder Xavier had found them easy to manipulate.

Suddenly a dark warrior with eyes like black ice appeared behind the lesser vampire. In little more than a blink of an eye his fist was buried deep in the creature's rib cage. As he removed the shriveled heart from the chest another dark haired warrior, Gregori, appeared in front of Hiram. The fight became a massacre as three hearts were removed, one by each of the Carpathian males that had come to Dominic's aid. The hearts and bodies were struck by several bolts of lightening as Dominic reformed his and Autumn's bodies.

"You couldn't handle them?" Jacques asked curiously.

"I was at a slight disadvantage." Dominic replied. "I have not fed in two days and spent most of my energy on Autumn's wounds."

The three males each glanced at the thin form in Dominic's arms. Even at a glance her heritage was completely unmistakable. "She looks much like Savannah." Gregori muttered.

"And Raven." Jacques added.

Dominic's head swung upwards as the dragon burned again. "More vampires approach."

"Jacques and Aiden will handle them. Come, Dominic, we must attend to Autumn." Gregori said as he became a large black hawk and flew towards the nearby cave that they would use to heal Autumn.

Dominic spared the two other men a glance. Jacques and Aiden were like polar opposites. Jacques was the night itself, dark and mysterious to all but his lifemate. Aiden was golden light, bright and unforgiving as the sun. Dominic hurried after Gregori, confident that these two skilled hunters could handle the vampires that chased them. And even if they couldn't Dominic knew they wouldn't hesitate to call Gregori or Dominic back to aid them. But right now, Autumn was Dominic's only priority.


	6. Chapter 5

**Kind of a short chapter...writing healing scenes is harder than I thought it'd be...**

~*~*~*~

Dominic followed Gregori deep into the caves, carrying Autumn easily. She weighed so little…it worried him. Gregori stopped at a large chamber with nearly black soil. Crystals in a rainbow of colors sparkled on the walls and around a steaming pool of water. Dominic carefully lowered Autumn to lay on the rich soil, instantly applying a mixture of the soil and his own healing saliva to the terrible wounds covering her body.

Gregori waved a hand and lit candles appeared on many ledges around the room. The scent of soothing herbs filled the air. After conjuring the candles Gregori knelt down next to Autumn, silver eyes taking in every hole and slash that covered her. He also instantly noticed the scars around her wrists and neck. Carpathians did not scar easily. "What caused these wounds?" He asked gently picking up Autumn's arm to examine the circular, bloody, hole.

"She was being held in an Iron Maiden." Dominic supplied. "I had to give her my blood. I would have preferred to not give her my tainted blood but I had little choice. I feared she would not survive if I did not."

Gregori's eyebrow rose. He had not missed the word 'feared'. He studied Dominic for a minute, his silver eyes missing nothing. Dominic barely paid the healer any attention; instead letting his fingers trace soothing designs on Autumn's skin. Gregori turned back to Autumn. "I had not expected to find a brother-in-law this evening. At least I can assure Savannah that her sister will be well looked after. She was very worried about that."

"She will never come to harm again." Dominic declared.

Gregori nodded in approval. "I will handle the parasites first, they are very tenacious." He said as he separated his spirit from his body and became pure healing light.

Already the parasites were attacking her organs, specifically her liver and heart where the majority of her blood was held. Dominic joined Gregori and started working on the holes in her skin and muscles. As they worked the soothing sound of the ancient healing chant filled their minds. Several different voices joined in, Dominic recognized Gregori and Mikhail both, as well as several of Autumn's other family members. Gregori spent a great deal of time burning away all the parasites that were attaching to her organs. After burning away the colonies that were building up, Gregori traveled through the rest of her body. He examined every tissue and every blood cell for any trace of the parasite.

Satisfied that all of the parasites had been destroyed, Gregori left Autumn's body. Gregori swayed slightly, his skin drawn and gray at the amount of energy that he had expended. Dominic opened his eyes a few moments later, looking even more drained than Gregori.

Aiden and Jacques were instantly there, wrists exposed to the two other men. "We will go hunt while you continue to heal Autumn." Aiden said as Dominic gulped down the ruby liquid. "There is a small village on the other side of the mountain that will provide us with the blood we need to support your healing efforts."

Dominic politely closed the gash on Aiden's wrist. "What of the vampires?"

"We destroyed the ones that followed you." Jacques answered. "But no more have tried to pursue."

Gregori stopped feeding, closing the pinpricks in Jacques' wrist. "I have removed the parasites but have noticed something…unsettling."

Dominic's eyes instantly flashed. "What it is?"

"There is severe scarring on several of her organs, including her heart, brain, and reproductive organs. I'm not certain the extent of the damage but that is what I will be attending to next." Gregori said in a perfectly maintained emotionless tone.

The beast roared and gnashed its teeth in Dominic's mind. Whatever Xavier had done it was most assuredly not pleasant. Dominic wrestled the rage down. He had to concentrate on helping Autumn heal.

"Come, Dominic, we still have much healing still to do." Gregori said, successfully pulling Dominic away from the rest of the anger he was having difficulty controlling.

Dominic separated his soul from his body to begin healing Autumn again. It was becoming difficult to continue the healing, even with Aiden's blood replenishing his energy.

Finally Dominic finished healing all of the open wounds on Autumn's body. He turned his attention to Autumn's legs. They had shattered from far too long standing without reprieve. He fused the bones back together seamlessly, burning away infection that was trying to take hold and reducing the swelling around the break. Then he turned his attention to helping Gregori healing the scarring that she had suffered on her organs. The scars were deep and crossed each other in a gruesome patchwork of damage. It took almost two hours to finish healing Autumn's heart and other internal organs.

After being resupplied blood from Aiden and Jacques, Gregori turned his attention to Dominic. "Now you, Dominic."

"Me?" Dominic echoed.

"Yes. Your hand is burned and you still possess the parasites. I imagine you don't want any of us to provide Autumn with blood and while the parasites are in your blood you cannot provide for her." Gregori reasoned. "It may take two risings to destroy them all so we had better begin."

The thought of any of the other men providing for Autumn instantly triggered the beast's anger. No man but Dominic would ever be allowed to give Autumn blood. Even though all three of the men had lifemates it didn't matter to Dominic. It simply wasn't ever going to happen.

Dominic once again wrestled down the anger, this time spawned from jealousy. He had never understood why males became so adamant about their lifemates feeding from other men but now it was all too clear. Autumn was such a beautiful, sensual, woman any man would melt at her touch. He certainly did.

Dominic nodded in understanding. They didn't have much time left before sunrise. Only a few hours. While Aiden and Jacques continued to stand guard against any vampires that may still be lurking around, Dominic and Gregori set to work destroying the parasites that had been building for decades.

_It's not as bad as I thought it would be… _Gregori commented. _It must be due to your Dragonseeker blood that you have been able to resist so long._

Dominic didn't comment, concentrating on rebuilding the skin on his hand and arm. He was confident that Gregori could handle the parasites. The burns on his skin were almost as severe as the ones he had received when he helped defend the Prince all those years ago.

Satisfied with the repairs to his hand, Dominic joined Gregori in burning away the parasites. Even with both of them working it took massive energy to destroy the creatures and then to heal the damage that had been done to the hunter's body.

They were forced to stop their efforts some time later when the sun started to get too high. Dominic opened a space in the earth, large enough for both him and Autumn to lay in. Herbs were scattered on the rich soil to help restore their energy and promote recovery from the wounds they'd so recently had healed.

Gregori, Aiden, and Jacques opened spaces of their own. They positioned themselves around the cave so that they could easily defend the weakened couple. All four males set strong safeguards over the cave and their own resting places.

Dominic gathered Autumn in his arms and lay down in the opening that he made. As the soil started to fill back in, Dominic wrapped his arm around Autumn's waist. He brought her closer to his chest and buried his face in her thick hair. The last thing he was aware of before his heart and lungs shut down was the feel of her body against his.


	7. Chapter 6

~*~*~*~

It took almost two and a half hours to finish destroying the parasites in Dominic's body. Gregori checked Autumn again for anything that he had missed in during the intense healing sessions the rising before. Once Gregori was satisfied Dominic woke Autumn from her death-like sleep. _Wake for me, Cistri._

The moment she opened her eyes she immediately found Dominic with them. The dragon swam in Dominic's mind again. _We have healed your wounds, Dearest. _He held his hand out to her. After a minute she slipped her much smaller hand in his and allowed Dominic to help her to her feet.

"Autumn, you need to feed. You are still too thin." Gregori said.

Autumn looked over her eyes strangely unblinking and distant. She stared at him for a moment before turning back to Dominic. Images swirled behind Dominic's eyes, but like before they moved by too quickly for him to understand. But the last image was very clearly Gregori's face. _He is Gregori. Your sister's lifemate and one of our most skilled healers. He came to help us._

Autumn turned to look at Gregori again. She tilted her head to the side before moving on to study Jacques and Aiden. The silence of uncertainty stretched for several minutes before she started to walk, ignoring the men completely.

"Autumn?" Dominic called, falling into step behind her as she walked to the entrance of the cave.

She stopped at the edge of the cliff and slowly looked out over the entire landscape. A light layer of frost clung to the trees and rocks, probably the last frost between winter and spring. The full moon hit all of the frost and reflected like millions of tiny diamonds. Autumn slowly turned her eyes upwards to look at the moon.

Dominic paused, eyes widening. The way the moonlight played across her face and hair gave her a positively ethereal glow. Her eyes captured every beam of light and reflected them back, making her dark blue eyes look like the night sky itself. He'd never seen anything more beautiful. She was like a mythical empress of magic and the night. Need slammed into him again. He had never wanted anything more in his life.

Autumn looked back at him and smiled. Dominic swore that his heart stopped. That smile made his heart soar. The horrible weight that seemed to press on her had lifted with that smile. Images of broken chains filled his mind and he nodded. _Yes, Dearest, you're free. I swear to you that you will never be in a prison again._

Her smile widened before she turned back to look out at the wilderness below. "Dominic. She needs to feed." Gregori said.

"I am aware, Gregori." Dominic replied. _Cistri. Cistri, your hunger beats at me. You must feed. _Red flashed in his mind. No? She was refusing? _My love you _must _feed. _Another flash of red. _Autumn! You will come to me and feed. _He shamelessly imposed his will, using his strongest compulsion.

She resisted the compulsion, fighting back almost immediately. Dominic was surprised at the sheer amount of will she was using to battle him. He was an ancient and could impose his will on almost anyone. And yet she was able to completely resist him. Autumn sent him an icy look as red flashed in his mind again.

_Autumn, I will not allow you to ignore your health. You will obey me in this._

"You must feed, little sister." Gregori said. "You are far too thin."

She turned and sent Gregori an even colder look than the one she gave Dominic. Aiden quickly stifled a laugh. "You have such a way with women, Gregori." Silver eyes slashed, warning Aiden against making those sorts of comments in the future.

"I believe my brother said something similar." Jacques added, ignoring Gregori and his silver glare.

Dominic ignored the other men. _Gregori is right, Autumn. You are starved. _

Autumn narrowed her eyes and folded her arms over her chest. She was _far_ too strong willed to give in to their demands. She didn't bend to anyone. Suddenly, her form shimmered, reflecting a slight amount of light. Not even a heartbeat later Autumn shattered, the tiny rainbow particles swirling up into the sky. "**Autumn!**"

"Wow, Dominic…you've got a fast learner there…" Jacques commented as the trail of mist streamed off.

"Thank you, Jacques." Dominic dissolved and streaked after Autumn. This was ridiculous. There was absolutely _no _reason for Autumn's sudden disobedience. He was only trying to take care of her. To stop the hunger that he was all too aware she was feeling. Why was she being so dratted difficult? _Autumn, you will stop this foolishness. There is no reason for your hostility._

Chains crossed Dominic's vision. A net of thick metal links that seemed to want to trap him inside. _Autumn, I don't understand. What are you trying to tell me? _Autumn made a noise of frustration in his mind. The chains shrunk, increasing the claustrophobic feeling of being utterly surround by the metal.

_Autumn, where do you think you're going? You don't know this area. More vampires may be lurking nearby. You can't just run off like this. _Suddenly, Autumn's mind slammed shut, cutting off Dominic instantly.

Dominic put aside his anger at the sudden turn the night had taken and put on a burst of speed, trying to catch up with his clearly unhappy lifemate. They streaked over the mountains, towards the small village that was nestled on the other side. The same village that Aiden and Jacques had hunted in the night before.

Autumn descended onto the outskirts of the village. Cursing to himself, Dominic quickly summoned a layer of mist to disguise them as they made an unnaturally quick descent.

The mist that was Autumn swirled around in a column in the middle of the small graveyard. Dominic was quick to reform right next to the column. Autumn formed a moment later, looking furious. "Autumn, this fighting is unnecessary. I only want to help you and you are starving."

Autumn turned on heel and started walking through the headstones. It was when she was walking away when Dominic noticed quite clearly that Autumn had failed to don any clothes upon reforming. Dominic pushed down his lust and quickly followed her through the row. "Autumn, would you please stop trying to run away from me?"

She swung around instantly. Her dark blue eyes seemed to spark dangerously as she glared at him. The same vision of chains appeared in his mind. Autumn held out her hands, shaking them slightly as she tried to convey what she meant.

"Chains?" Dominic put his hands on her shoulders. "Cistri, I don't understand. I don't know what you're trying to say."

Autumn made a noise of pure frustration. Pulling out of his grip she started to pace. Every once and a while she'd stop and look at him before making another cry of annoyance and starting to pace again. The image of chains shifted to nothing but black only to shift back to the chains.

Frustration was rolling off of Autumn in waves. Dominic could feel it. Every attempt Autumn made to communicate was stopped dead, completely misunderstood. Every second she only got more upset.

Quickly Dominic stepped in front of her, stopping her pacing by holding her arms. "I know you're frustrated, Autumn. I can feel it. It's okay to be frustrated! I am _sorry _that I can't understand."

Autumn thumped her fist against his chest. Images flashed each one making less sense than the one before. Dominic wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. "We'll find a way to fix this, Dearest. I won't stop until we fix this." He whispered against the top of her head.

For several minutes he just stood there, holding her close. She clung to his shirt, face hidden in his chest. Dominic muttered soothing things in the ancient language and gently stroked her head. Slowly, the hard edge of her frustration and anger slipped away.

Gently, Dominic tilted her head up to look down at her face. His heart shattered when he saw the sparkle of moisture clinging to her dark lashes. "Oh, Dearest, please don't cry. I never want you to cry." He whispered brushing the moisture away with his thumb. He bent down and followed the path his thumb took with gentle kisses. Slowly, he trailed kisses down her cheek reaching the corner of her mouth.

He traced the line of her lips with his top teeth before pressing his mouth to hers. Cradling the back of her head he deepened the kiss. He loved the feel of her mouth against his. Reluctantly he pulled away slightly, she was still so very upset. "Don't cry anymore." He murmured against her mouth.

She rested her head against his shoulder. An image of a river drying up entered his mind followed by the golden dragon wrapped around a small flame. Dominic smiled slightly and kissed the top of her head.

After a moment of just holding her Dominic stepped back. "Now…while I don't particularly mind seeing you as you are…I think it would be better if you wear some clothes, especially when we go see your family." Autumn tilted her head to the side in clear confusion. "Your parents have spent twenty years looking for you and they are very anxious to see you again. But probably with clothes on. What would you like to wear?"

Autumn frowned and the image of the destroyed and rather pathetic excuse of a shirt she was wearing before appeared in his mind. "You've never worn anything else?" A flash of red. "Oh, Cistri…you deserve clothing that will suit your beauty." He said lightly stroking her cheek.

Dominic held out his arms quickly manufactured some clothes for her. "Here, Cistri." He said handing her the clothes. Autumn fingered the fabric for a moment before slipping them on. He had made her a deep purple shirt that emphasized her tiny waist and a long straight black skirt. "I always thought women looked elegant in a black skirt." He commented.

She looked down at herself in her new clothes before smiling. Dominic brushed her cheek again. "I'm glad you like them, Dearest. And it is good to see you smile. You have a beautiful smile, Autumn."

Autumn was still for a moment before standing up on her toes and gave him a gently peck on the cheek. "You're welcome."


	8. Chapter 7

**Okay, it's finally up...whew this chapter was harder than I thought it would be...hence why it's also a little shorter than some of my other chapters.**

~*~*~*~

"Autumn, you are still hungry. Will you please feed?" Dominic asked, brushing a defiant lock of dark hair behind her ear. Autumn sighed and after a moment, filled his mind with a field of bright green. Dominic smiled and kissed her forehead. "Thank you, Dearest."

Dominic leaned closer to her, exposing his neck. Her mouth easily found his pulse pounding under his skin. His body clenched at the first touch of her mouth. Her tongue swirled once, and then twice, making Dominic reach up to tangle his hand in her hair bringing them closer together. She lightly nipped at his pulse running her tongue over the spot a moment later.

_Just do it, Cistri. _He whispered in her mind.

Her fangs sunk deep, sending a white-hot mixture of pleasure and pain lancing through his body. He pulled her even closer, her soft curves molding against his hard muscles. She barely noticed, caught up in the unique and vaguely spicy taste of his ancient blood. Dominic fought hard against his need for her. It had been so long since he had truly _needed _someone, it was almost overwhelming.

Slowly Autumn pulled away, closing the wound with a long stroke of her tongue. She looked up at him, eyes dark and sultry. Dominic bit back a groan and captured her mouth. He could taste his own powerful blood on her lips. His teeth teased her bottom lip, gently parting her mouth.

He took his time in exploring her mouth. He knew as long as he lived he would never get enough of her taste. It was addicting. Her entire body seemed to melt against his as his tongue swept through her mouth.

Suddenly Dominic sensed someone else approaching. Several male humans, all of them drunk. Dominic pulled away and turned his head. He easily spotted them making a loud and clumsy path through the gravestones. It was easy enough to read their minds. They were 'celebrating' like they did every night about this time. Twenty something's wasting their lives by getting drunk day in and day out. They hadn't even seen Dominic and Autumn yet.

A wave of his hand and all four of them instantly grew silent. Autumn looked at Dominic confusion foremost in her mind. "I need to replenish my energy as well, Cistri. And maybe it will teach them a lesson about the best way to spend their time. Getting drunk and using drugs will only waste their lives."

Autumn sighed but made no effort to protest as Dominic approached the group of men. Drugs and alcohol were thick in their blood streams but it hardly mattered Dominic could easily rid his body of the toxins. The four of them stood there calmly as Dominic stopped in front of them.

It was a good thing there was so many of them. He could feed and not have any worry that any of the men would be too weak or in danger of being drained of too much blood. After Dominic finished drinking his fill he lowered them to the ground planting a believable accident in all of their minds.

He turned back to Autumn who had her arms crossed impatiently. Dominic smiled and held his hand out to her. "Come, Cistri. We should go meet your parents. It will take us the entirety of this rising and part of tomorrow's to reach their home. The sooner we leave the sooner we will get there."

Autumn nodded and reached out to grab Dominic's hand. They both dissolved into a fine mist. _Now, Cistri, flying is much faster than traveling as the mist. I will provide an image for you. _Once they were high in the air the two of them shifted, becoming two large owls with glossy dark feathers.

Dominic could feel Autumn's amazement and joy at being able to fly. It was almost as if he were learning for the first time. He remained a shadow in her mind, making certain she didn't lose the image, as she rolled in the air enjoying the freedom of flying.

She tilted her wings slightly so that she spun upwards before dipping down towards the ground in a heart-stopping dive. Dominic dived down as well, not about to let her get into trouble from her own exuberance. Only a few meters from crashing into the hard ground, Autumn rolled and pulled upwards.

Dominic followed, leveling out under her so that she couldn't fall from the air. _I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. But please try not to get hurt. _She didn't reply, just twirled in mid air again. Dominic attempted to be annoyed at not being listened to but found her happiness far too infectious. _You are going to be the death of me, Dearest. _

_I take it you and Autumn have made up? _Gregori asked through the common path that all Carpathians used.

_Yes Gregori. _

_Good. Then we will join you now._

It wasn't long before three large owls joined them, ringing Autumn in as they flew. Annoyance sprung up in her mind, easily picked up by Dominic who was so firmly linked with her. _I am sorry you dislike our protection, Cistri, but we are Carpathian males and it is in our natures to protect our women._

Autumn's annoyance didn't go away, if anything it grew even more. The image of eyes rolling in their sockets filled his mind. He almost laughed. This strange way of speaking was definitely difficult to get used to but it had its own unique charm. It was rather endearing in its own way.

Suddenly the dragon on Dominic's abdomen burned red hot. _Vampires approach. _He informed the others as he fell back slightly.

Red flashed in his mind. The symbol from before followed. The reptilian eye in the black diamond. _Cistri, what does that mean? _He asked as the other males guided Autumn towards an outcropping of trees. All four of them reformed on the tree branches while Dominic reformed in the air.

"Where are they?" Aiden asked looking around with flashing golden eyes.

"Dominic, can you sense them?" Gregori asked.

"No. I know they are near…but I cannot find them." He answered. An image of the ground appeared in his mind. Looking over to Autumn he saw she was staring at the ground with rapt attention. Following her blue gaze he saw plants wither and die in a long line coming from the forest's edge towards the tree they were standing in. Not only were the plants dying but the very earth seemed to be drained of all nutrients, it grew a light brown and started to crumble as he watched.

Dominic's eyes narrowed. Vampires didn't cause such an effect. Something else was hiding beneath the earth. Something he had never encountered before. _What are they? _He asked.

An image of the dragon decaying into an impeccable skeleton was his answer. The next image to appear was a hand with a red slash across it. Don't touch. Green flashed in his mind. _How can we kill it if we cannot touch it? _

"Dominic?" Gregori asked.

"Autumn thinks they are not vampires but something else." He supplied, still watching the line of death spread around on the ground. "Something that causes death to whatever it touches."

"I've never encountered such a thing." Aiden muttered.

"Nor have I." Gregori agreed.

Jacques shook his head. "How do we destroy such a creature?"

Another image appeared in Dominic's mind. A firestorm that rained over the entire surface of the ground. _Fire, Cistri? _Green flashed in his mind. Dominic raised his hand to the sky. _Then there shall be fire. _He said as he built energy in the sky.

With a wave of his hand large swirling balls of molten fire slammed into the ground, fire piercing the layers of dirt. There was a horrible screeching noise like a hundred birds dying at once. The ground seemed to swirl with fire and the line of dying plants zipped off towards the caves that Xavier used.

As the line of death receded he allowed the fire to die down. The dragon burning on Dominic's side started to fade. He looked down at Autumn. She smiled slightly before shifting into a large owl again. She jumped off the branch and started to fly off in the direction they had been heading.

"She never gives much warning does she?" Jacques commented.

Dominic shook his head. "No, she doesn't." Quickly they all hurried after Autumn, retaking their bird forms as they did so.


	9. Chapter 8

**Not entirely happy with how the reunion turned out but...eh I might go back and fix it later...we'll see.**

~*~*~*~

A single heartbeat picked up under a layer of rich soil and herbs. The soil slowly pulled back as Autumn opened her eyes. Something had woken her before any of the men. The sun was still barely in the sky, it would fully set within half an hour by her estimations. She tried to sit up but a thick iron bar around her waist stopped her. Looking down she saw it was Dominic's arm and not a bar of iron.

It took her a minute to detangle herself from his hold and then climb out of their resting place. Not wanting to set off any safeguards she dissolved into mist. The image was easy for her to find in her mind. She had sensed Dominic's surprise at how easily she could hold images for shifting but Autumn had always been fairly good at remembering what she saw, especially when that was the only way she could express herself.

Outside the cave that they had taken shelter in that night she reformed her own body donning similar clothes as the ones Dominic had fashioned for her the night before. The sunlight pickled at her skin and eyes but it wasn't to the point where she could not stand the light so she pushed the discomfort out of her mind with ease born from years of practice. She wandered through the trees and shrubs, trying to find the ripple of unease that had woken her earlier than Dominic would have wanted.

It was a persistent feeling in the back of her mind. Distress and pain but it wasn't like what she was used to. There was something…different about it, though she couldn't place what that difference was. But even with the difference she was inexplicably compelled to search out the source of the echoes in her mind. It wasn't in her nature to ignore pain like that.

Pulling a low hanging branch to the side her navy blue eyes instantly found the source of the distress. A fawn was in the clearing, bleating frantically. Autumn touched the small animal's mind. It was lost, somehow separated from its mother. Autumn's head tilted slightly as she spread her mind outwards, looking for another deer in distress at the situation.

It didn't take long to find the deer almost half a mile away. They would have probably continued looking for each other for sometime, perhaps never even finding one another again. Autumn called out to the mother deer.

Once Autumn was satisfied that the adult deer would come to this clearing and that the fawn would not leave it she turned. She jumped slightly when she immediately was face to face with Dominic. "You should not have left without me, Autumn." He said.

Autumn sighed. Truly his protectiveness was already getting tiring. She could never even remember being protected and now it was smothering with Dominic's intensity. "We need to feed before we continue to your parents'." He said reaching out to gently take her hand in his. "Why did you leave the cave, Cistri?"

She glanced over her shoulder at the fawn. Dominic glanced over as well. Not a minute later the mother deer bound through the shrubs and instantly went to the fawn. The distress from both animals almost instantly disappeared. Dominic hadn't even noticed it was there until it was gone. He looked back over at Autumn. She was still watching the deer with rapt attention.

"Come, Cistri, your own mother longs to see you as well." He said gently leading her back towards the cave.

Suddenly the dragon on his abdomen burned horribly. He pulled Autumn to him as he scanned the area. Dominic could not sense the source of the dragon's warning and that was never a good sign. The symbol of the new creatures appeared in his mind and he glanced down at Autumn. She had her eyes closed and seemed to be concentrating on something else.

Dominic masked their presence as he merged his mind more fully with Autumn. She ignored his presence in her mind as she followed a mental path that Dominic didn't recognize.

For a minute they were looking through different eyes. Everything was in shades of gray, just like it was before Autumn had reached out to Dominic. He found the removal of color quite unsettling now that his had returned to him. A subtle push from Autumn and the creatures swerved to the left, doubling back on themselves. Autumn allowed the path to slip away and returned to herself as the creatures moved further away. The burning on Dominic's abdomen faded as well. "You can control the creatures?" He asked.

Red flashed in his mind.

"Then how did you send them away?" Dominic asked curiously. "And what mental path were you using? I did not recognize it."

She just smiled mischievously and continued walking towards the cave. "Autumn…" Dominic called following after her. "I do not like this new secrecy you have developed." He warned.

Autumn maintained her secret however, and no amount of prodding seemed to convince her to tell him. Dominic could have gotten the information from her mind directly but thought better of it. Last time he had tried to force his way Autumn had run off. He was not particularly interested in running after her again.

It was nearly three in the morning before five large birds landed outside a large house far removed from any hint of civilization. The French doors that seemed to lead to a library of some sort flew open as the male birds retook the form of male Carpathians.

A pair of slender women with long black hair came out of the house, followed by two males. The younger woman who seemed to have tiny silver stars in her eyes flew to Gregori, kissing him firmly on the lips before pulling away.

The other woman came up short as the older man wrapped his arm around her waist. The other male was about thirty years old with shoulder length black hair and pure black eyes. The middle Dubrinsky child, William. Twin girls with silver eyes came out of the house followed by a woman with flaming red hair and another young male with the classic Carpathian physique.

"I believe I will take my leave now." Aiden said as Jacques greeted his own lifemate. Mikhail nodded. "Alexandria is waiting for me." And with that he dissolved into mist and left the Dubrinsky clan to welcome their daughter, sibling, cousin, and aunt back.

All the Carpathians could tell that the black hawk perched in a nearby tree was no hawk. Autumn had yet to retake her natural form. _Cistri, they are your family. There is no need to be anxious about meeting them._

Her answer was an feeling of being completely overwhelmed. After all, there were _so many _of them.

_Dominic?_ Mikhail questioned.

_She is nervous, Mikhail. I do not think she anticipated there being so many members of your family. _He answered.

Slowly Raven took a few steps forward. "Autumn, baby, it's alright. We just want to see you, honey." She purposefully used the sweetest, most soothing voice she was able. She didn't want her own daughter to be afraid of her family. No matter how intimidating they were.

Autumn shifted a little in her bird form, her mind reaching for Dominic's. He instantly sent her waves of comfort. _It's alright, Cistri. Just focus on Raven. _He suggested.

After a tense minute Autumn dissolved into a fine mist. The mist swirled in a column just in front of Raven. The tiny molecules of mist started reforming and Autumn slowly took form, her deep blue eyes wary.

Raven covered her mouth with her hands as tears built up in her blue-violet eyes. "Autumn…look at you…oh baby." Raven pulled her into a tight hug, shocking Autumn at the sudden contact. "I'm so happy you're alright." She whispered into Autumn's neck.

Slowly Autumn relaxed in the hug. She remembered Raven's scent; it was soothing and made her feel like, for just a minute, all the horrible things she saw hadn't really happened after all. She closed her eyes and let herself remember the vague memories of being held by her parents. Her arms acted on their own, clinging to the back of Raven's shirt. Another pair of arms circled them both and Autumn knew without a shadow of a doubt that her father was holding her too.

Raven pulled away slightly to look at her daughter again. Autumn was surprised when her mother wiped away tears she hadn't even realized she had cried. Mikhail kissed the top of her head lightly and Autumn turned to him. "We are so glad you are home, bebé."

Autumn just wrapped her arms around Raven again, soaking up the feeling of family that she hadn't even realized that she had been missing so desperately. Mikhail and Raven held her close happy to the point of tears at the return of their daughter.


	10. Chapter 9

**Yay! New chapter! thanks to all of you who've been reviewing this story. I loves you all! Gaw...another shorter than I wanted chapter...It seems they all come out slightly shorter than my goal...sorry about that...**

~*~*~*~

Autumn wandered around the large library, touching every surface and completely ignoring everyone else. The introductions to the rest of the Dubrinksy clan had proved to be far more awkward than originally thought. Autumn had clearly been uncomfortable with the twins and with Stephen touching her while she had barely tolerated Savannah and William's greetings.

Partly to relieve the tension of the meeting and partly so that they could speak more freely Mikhail had moved them inside the house. Now, Autumn was sufficiently distracted by the new environment to be worried about the people she couldn't remember being related to.

_Why hasn't she spoken, Dominic? _Mikhail asked sounding vaguely worried.

_She has not spoken a word to anyone. She clearly understands us but she cannot seem to vocalize her own thoughts. She has been speaking to me with images since I found her. _Dominic supplied.

Autumn turned slightly to give Dominic a reproachful look. Mikhail's face swum in his mind. Dominic suppressed his sudden urge to smile. _I believe she knows we're talking about her. _

_We are speaking on a private path._

_She is very perceptive, Mikhail._

"Autumn, honey, I have something I want to show you." Raven said suddenly. She could sense that her lifemate and their new son-in-law wanted to have a discussion but were worried about upsetting Autumn. Besides, she wouldn't mind a few more moments alone with her daughter.

Autumn looked over instantly. Raven reached out and gently grabbed her hand before leading her out of the room and deeper into the house. Autumn moved slowly, looking in every direction as she walked. She wanted to take in every detail of this beautiful house. Just in case it wasn't there when she next rose. It wouldn't be the first time.

Raven lead her upstairs, letting her walk at her own pace. After a minute they came to a room tucked down at the end of the hallway. "This was your room." Raven said opened the door to reveal a brightly colored nursery.

Autumn hesitated outside the room but after a moment of looking in at the sunshine yellow walls she slowly entered. The furniture was white with colorful leaves painted in strategic places. "I didn't have the heart to change anything. Not until you came home." Raven commented as Autumn reached into the crib and fingered the edge of the yellow baby blanket.

She brought the blanket up to her face. It was remarkably soft. She'd never felt anything so soft. A gentle smell of lavender reached her nose. Autumn sighed slightly. Just like before, she _knew_ this scent. It was remarkably comforting. Still holding the blanket, Autumn turned to look at the rest of the room. Every here and there a few subtly incorporated symbols stuck out to her. The strange shapes carved into the wood and painted into the mural on the wall made her feel safe. Like nothing could possibly hurt her in this room.

Raven sat down in the rocking chair, like she had done countless times before. But this time, instead of imaging her daughter, she was watching her. Autumn paid her little attention as she made her way around the small room. Suddenly Autumn paused and moved closer to the dresser. She picked up a small silver-framed picture that was sitting on the top.

It was a picture of Raven, Mikhail, Savannah, a young boy –William immediately came to mind- and an infant held in Raven's arms. Autumn's fingers traced invisible lines on the glass before she gently put the picture back. Behind that picture was another one, also framed in silver.

The second picture was a close up of just the infant that Raven had been holding. Autumn tilted her head slightly as she examined the picture. "You were only a few weeks old when that was taken." Raven commented. "We'll have to take a new one since you've grown so much."

As soon as Raven and Autumn were upstairs Mikhail turned to Dominic. "Where did you find her?"

"Xavier was holding her hostage and using her as a blood supply." Dominic supplied keeping his voice as emotionless as possible. He quickly turned his mind away from the memory of Autumn's state when he had found her. That would only cause him to get angry, which would alert Autumn to their conversation. But still there was a twinge of rage that he could not control.

Mikhail's face darkened. "His treachery knows no bounds."

Dominic nodded. "He has created some new threat. I only could sense it through my Dragonseeker blood. It travels beneath the ground, killing everything it touches. Autumn seems to have some knowledge of it but I would prefer not involving her with Xavier or his atrocities anymore than she already has been."

"Agreed." Mikhail said instantly. "Dominic…there was no way to tell you before you left for your task but your sister's daughters were found alive some time ago."

Dominic's surprise showed. "I thought they had perished."

"As did we, however Natalya and Lara freed them from their prison some time ago." Mikhail said.

Dominic pushed down the overwhelming emotions that were trying to swamp him. He was very _happy _that they were alive which to be honest made almost no sense since he had never even laid eyes on them. All of these new and powerful emotions were difficult to get used to.

"I have sent word to them that you've returned to us, they are quite eager to meet you for the first time." Mikhail continued. "However they are in the Americas at the moment and it will take some time to return here."

Dominic nodded slightly. "I would prefer some time to better get to know Autumn anyway." He commented. "I suppose I will need to renovate my home again. I have not been there in twenty years. I imagine it has aged much."

Mikhail shook his head. "Your nieces have kept your home in good condition. They were adamant that you'd return to us sooner or later."

"It looks as if they inherited my sister's stubbornness…" Dominic commented with a half smile. How had his world changed so very quickly? Not five days ago he was walking amongst vampires and now he was surrounded by light and warmth that Autumn had brought him.

Suddenly they heard Raven's voice coming down the stairs. A moment later both Carpathian women appeared in the doorway. Raven immediately went to Mikhail's side, while Autumn became almost instantly distracted by the variety of nick-knacks on the shelves. "It is late." Mikhail said glancing at the sky that was beginning to turn a lighter shade of blue-purple. "There is plenty of room in our sleeping chambers. You will stay here today."

Autumn turned, a slight frown on her face. Dominic was beginning to recognize that look; it was the look of defiance. Instantly Dominic moved to Autumn's side, wrapping his arms around her waist. _Only if you wish it, Cistri._

Autumn looked over her shoulder at him. Slowly green filtered into his mind. Dominic almost sighed in relief. Crisis averted. _Come Cistri, you have expended much energy these past nights, I would like it if you went to ground early. _Again it took a few minutes before Autumn agreed. Perhaps Dominic was getting the hang of speaking to Autumn so that she did not become agitated. He sincerely hoped so. He found he didn't much like it when Autumn was angry at him. And it hadn't even happened that often


	11. Chapter 10

**Thank you all who are putting this story on Alert. I'm glad you like it so much. Sorry this one is kinda short btw...**

~*~*~*~

Autumn woke up on a soft bed, thick comforter pulled up to her chin. Sitting up, it only took a single glance to find that she was alone in the underground chamber. Mentally she reached for Dominic. He was flying; she could feel the wind rushing over feathers. She found the intent of hunting in his mind.

As she got out of the bed she let the connection slip away. She found a blouse and black skirt at the foot of the bed and quickly put them on. Dominic really did seem to like black skirts, he always gave them to her to wear.

After getting dressed she wandered out of the chamber and up through a wine cellar until she reached the main level of her parents' house. She heard strange sounds filtering through the rooms and her curiosity was peaked. Autumn followed them until she reached a room with a large couch and TV. William was sitting on the couch but instantly looked up when she came in. "Hey sis. Just wake up?"

Autumn of course didn't answer as she walked up to where he was sitting. A small device was in his hands and something brightly colored and rather cartoonish was on the screen of the TV. "I guess Dominic's out hunting, huh? Dad is too." William continued turning his attention back to the screen.

The small creatures started moving, jumping and spinning in an almost insane fashion. Autumn tilted her head in confusion. She'd never seen anything like what she was watching right then.

After a few minutes, she walked around the couch and knelt down on the floor to watch more avidly. She followed a thin cable from a box under the TV to the device in her brother's hand. William noticed her eyes moving from one to the other. "You wanna try?" He asked holding it out to her.

Slowly, she took it from him and examined it more closely. Small sticks stuck up from the top and brightly colored buttons decorated its surface. She turned it over in her hands, finding a few more buttons but nothing else of any note. Suddenly, something happened on the TV and her head shot up to look. William stifled a laugh. "Here…I can show you if you wanna sit up here with me."

Autumn contemplated for a minute before moving to sit on the couch with him. William reached over and changed how she held it between her hands. "That makes it easier to hit all the buttons." He explained. "This joystick here lets you move the character…he's the one with the hat."

Autumn glanced up at the screen to identify the one he was talking about. Almost as quickly, she looked back down at the controller. "This button here makes him jump. If you make him jump and move the stick he'll go forward or back but if you just press it by itself he'll go straight up." William said pointing to the red button under Autumn's thumb.

William continued explaining how to use the controller for several minutes. Autumn listened carefully. "What's going on in here?" Raven asked from the doorway, unable to stop from letting a few laughs get past her lips.

"I'm teaching Autumn how to play, Mom." William supplied.

Raven smiled "I see that but why?"

William shrugged. "She seemed interested. Besides, everyone should play Mario at least once in their lives…it's a classic."

Raven sighed and shook her head. "Honestly…you know your father hates those games."

"Yeah, I know but he's so _old _you said so yourself." William justified. Raven laughed again. "And I'm _bonding _with my baby sister…that can't be a bad thing right?" He asked as he patted Autumn on the shoulder. She barely seemed to notice, too intent on Mario who was stuck behind a large wall.

"Of course, I'm glad you two are getting along." Raven said instantly. "But still…already you play those games too much. You don't need to be giving your sister your bad habits, young man." She said hands on her hips

William rolled his eyes. "I'm thirty mom and Autumn's twenty…I think we can handle a few video games."

"Still, you could choose to teach your sister something useful instead of filling her mind with video games." She said as she left the room. It was fifteen minutes later that Autumn got tired of the game and got up from her seat. She followed the path her mother had taken but as she passed the kitchen was sidetracked.

The shiny appliances reflected the slightly orange light. The tile floor was cold under her bare feet but she found that easy to ignore. The kitchen was made up of browns and tans, not counting the silver appliances. She took her time with exploring the room. As she pressed a button on the front of one of the shiny behemoths the sound of machinery kicking in made her jump. Soon the sound of water rushing behind the metal door reached her ears.

She found a latch in the door and pulled. The water instantly stopped as the door opened and steam drifted up into the room. Autumn looked inside, everything was dripping water. Two white racks on wheels filled up the box but nothing was in the racks. After a minute she closed the door again. She frowned when the sound of water echoed out again.

After the mysterious water noises Autumn avoided any more buttons. They were just a bit too disconcerting for her to deal with. She was just investigating the smallest of the machines when Dominic formed behind her. "Need some help, _Cistri?_" He asked with a smile.

She sent him a distinctly haughty look over her shoulder before turning back to her careful examination. Unable to see as much as she wanted to she quickly moved to sit on the counter and peered inside the small box. There wasn't much inside but a flat glass circle on wheels.

Dominic chuckled a little; she was so _innocent_. She would never know just how utterly adorable he found her, especially when she was so consumed with curiosity like this. "Do not worry, _Cistri, _we do not have a need for such things." He said as she pulled out the glass plate and turned it over in her hands.

She looked up at him for a moment before turning back to the plate, which she slowly put back in its place. She slid off the counter to stand on the floor again. He reached out and pulled her to him, savoring the feel of her in his arms. "I wish to take you to my home this night…unless you wish to stay here longer?"

She took her time to think about it, burying her face in his chest. Green filtered through his mind. "You wish to stay here?" He asked uncertain. He hadn't phrased the question as clear as he thought. Red flickered through his mind at that.

Dominic found himself smiling down at her. "Then we shall go." He said kissing the top of her head.

* * *

**I promise things will start getting _very _interesting in the next few chapters. This one was more for the humor factor of it.**


	12. Chapter 11

~*~*~*~

The Dragonseeker mansion was filled with a heavy layer of dust. The paintings' that hung on the wall were obscured underneath the grey particles. Autumn's footsteps on the hardwood floors were muffled and the intricate woodcarvings on the molding were practically filled with dust. The fabrics on the couches, chairs and in the tapestries were all jewel toned. Dominic had almost forgotten that.

With a gentle wave of his hand, Dominic rid the house of the dust that had built up in his nieces' absence. Autumn wandered through the house, dark blue eyes studying everything she passed by. He _knew_ that she didn't miss a single thing.

Dominic smiled a bit as he followed behind his lifemate. She was so curious about everything, it was incredibly endearing. Suddenly, Autumn stopped in the middle of the hallway. "Autumn?"

She didn't even act as if she heard him. Dominic could sense a slight amount of distress starting to build in Autumn's mind. Instantly he scanned the area but found nothing unusal. Unable to find any source for her distress Dominic grew worried. Quickly, Dominic linked his mind completely with Autumn's.

The entire mansion fell away. Only himself and Autumn seemed to stay in place as the world spun out of control. He swore he could feel himself being jerked to the left and then the ride abruptly stopped. It only took a moment to recognize where they had ended up. The Sacred Caves. A large group of Carpathians was standing in a half circle with Mikhail facing them.

With faint surprise Dominic saw himself standing with Autumn near the front of the crowd, she was clinging to his arm in a clear sign of affection and Dominic's heart nearly exploded with joy at the sight. He saw Mikhail saying something though the words disappeared into white noise the moment they left his mouth. A second later Aiden and a blonde woman he didn't recognize stepped forward, a fair-haired infant in the woman's arms. A naming ceremony.

There was more talking which again never left the lips of the people talking. Suddenly Dominic saw himself jerk his head to the side and say something, interrupting the ceremony completely. Mikhail handed the infant back to Aiden's lifemate and spoke to the hunters in the crowd.

Before anything else could happen the ground erupted in a geyser of black goo. It burned the skin of the Carpathians on contact and the real Dominic instantly grabbed Autumn and pulled her backwards He noticed that the action seemed to lag behind several seconds and leave a trail of pearly light that quickly dispersed.

As soon as he jerked Autumn back the images swirled violently before disappearing. Autumn sagged against Dominic's chest as they were once again standing in the middle of the hallway. Dominic picked Autumn up and cradled her to his chest as he moved into the library, which happened to be closest. He sat down on the plush couch and studied Autumn for any signs of injury from the bizarre happenings. "Autumn…Cistri what was that?" He asked brushing a strand of hair from her face.

A horribly familiar voice filled Dominic's mind. _"You little whelp! That's how you knew what I was making! I should have known…your bloodline always was annoyingly adept at seeing through time." _ Dominic pushed aside the anger he felt at Xavier for speaking to Autumn like that. Instead he focused on the last sentence.

Dominic had known that Mikhail's father had gotten visions from time to time. That was why he sent the Hunters to far away lands to hunt the vampire. He has seen a vision and felt that was the best way to deal with the situation he had seen. But looking into the future was…difficult at best. You could never tell what events lead to the one you witness and there's no guarantee what you see is even preventable. It was a horribly inaccurate skill. Had Autumn inherited her grandfather's admittedly rather capricious skill? It seemed so.

"You have had these visions before?" Dominic asked gently.

Autumn curled up closer to him as green filled his mind. He could sense that she was tired. The vision had apparently had an adverse effect on her. Her health was still delicate at the moment and she couldn't afford any setbacks like this. "We should go to ground, Autumn. You are tired from the vision." He said running his fingers through her thick hair.

Red flashed through his mind. The images of the naming ceremony flashed through his mind again. Then the horrible acidic goo appeared in his mind followed by an image of the blonde infant. Again red flashed.

Dominic sighed. "I will speak to your father, but I would feel much better knowing you are recovering your energy." He said, trying to be as diplomatic as possible. Autumn was too stubborn to order or even use compulsion on. He'd already found that out the hard way.

Red flashed harshly behind his eyes. Autumn wasn't going to meet him halfway this time it looked like. Dominic sighed, "Cistri, you are making this very difficult." The image of the infant repeated in his mind. Dominic resigned himself to the fact that he wasn't going to win this particular difference of opinion and reached out to Mikhail.

_Mikhail?_

_Dominic? Is there something the matter? _The prince seemed wary, but then again Dominic had wanted to spend time alone with Autumn. It wouldn't make much sense to then contact him as soon as they got alone.

_As a matter of fact, yes. Autumn has apparently had some sort of vision of the future. I believe your father had similar experiences._

_He did. Not very often but he had the ability, yes._

_Autumn seems to share his gift. She witnessed an attack on our people during a naming ceremony. One for Aiden's child it looked like._

Mikhail swore with a few choice words. _You are certain?_

_I was joined with Autumn as she had the vision. I suppose it could have been Julian, Aiden's twin, but I was under the impression it was Aiden's lifemate who had blonde hair._

_It is. _Mikhail confirmed with a sigh. _The naming ceremony was scheduled for this Saturday. I will have to inform Aiden that we will have to postpone it. Alexandra will not be happy but that is something Aiden will have to deal with. What was this attack?_

Dominic shared the memory of the vision with him. Everything from the white noise of people speaking to the smoldering wounds caused by the black goo. _I am not certain how I feel about Autumn seeing such things. _Dominic said after the last images faded away.

_I am certain. Certain that I don't like it. _Mikhail muttered. _It is a difficult gift to harbor and Autumn has had more than enough difficulties already. _

_She will not have to harbor them alone. And we do not know how often she will receive such images. _Dominic pointed out softly.

There were several minutes of silence as Mikhail thought. _Look after my daughter, Dominic. _He said softly.

_With my life and soul. _The connection broke off and Dominic looked down at Autumn curled up in his lap. She looked asleep but he could feel her a shadow in his mind. "Come Cistri…it is getting late and you are tired."

Green filtered through his mind. Now that the ceremony had been stopped she was more willing to agree with him. Dominic picked her up and headed towards the cellar. He agreed with Mikhail. Autumn had more than enough to cope with already. He could only hope that these visions would be few and far between.


	13. Chapter 12

**You ever have one of those chapters that just REFUSE to be written? This one was one of them. That's why it took so long btw. Sorry about that. But it's done now so...yay! On with the story!**

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~*~*~*~

Even with Dominic calling to her it was difficult for Autumn to wake up the next rising. She was so utterly tired. The vision she had drained all of the energy she had managed to recover since her rescue. _Cistri! _Dominic's voice was demanding in her mind and beneath the utter authority there was a delicate lacing of fear. He was scared for her.

That more than anything prompted her to finally force her eyes open. She didn't want him to be scared, especially over something so minimal as a lack of energy. The instant she opened her eyes she saw him hovering over her. His vibrant green eyes held the tinge of worry she had detected in his voice. Autumn smiled a bit, trying to reassure him that this reaction to a vision was quite normal for her. If only she could find the words to say that…

"You have slept most of the night, Cistri." Dominic said brushing her hair away from her face with gentle yet slightly calloused fingers.

Autumn reached up and traced a few of the scars that took up the left side of him. They only made him more interesting. It only took a moment for her to decide that she liked them. They symbolized just how honorable he was. Dominic smiled, as if reading her mind. "You are weak still, Cistri. Will you please feed for me?"

She thought of green. The green of his eyes. She did love his eyes; they were so impressive. Dominic shifted so that Autumn was cradled in his arms. His body clenched in anticipation as her tongue swirled over his pulse once then twice. He bit back a groan as the desire to take her fully as his lifemate beat at him. He needed her so much.

Autumn sunk her fangs into his neck, her arms wrapping around his shoulders for a better grip. He tightened his own hold on her, burying his nose in her thick hair. She shifted in his arms slightly, lightly brushing against his body.

Dominic clenched his teeth together as his incisors lengthened into fangs. Even after being with her for several days he had yet to taste her blood. She had always been too weak to risk it. Gently he traced her pulse with his teeth. His mouth was watering at the temptation.

With a long drag of her tongue, Autumn closed the wound on his neck before pulling back slightly. Green filled his mind. "Yes to what, my love?" He whispered, cursing silently the fact that it was more husky than normal.

An image from his own mind was displayed before him. Dominic's mouth over her pulse; taking her blood with her hands cradling his head lovingly. Dominic's body clenched again. She was tempting fate with images like that. He ignored the fact it was an image he himself had conjured.

_I do not wish to harm you, Cistri…and you are still so weak…_

Autumn gave Dominic a disproving look. Green reappeared in his mind, blocking his vision for a few short heartbeats. Dominic didn't require any more encouragement. His tongue played across her neck, tasting her skin. Teeth nipped gently only to be followed once again by his tongue.

Her pulse sped up slightly as his teeth scraped against it. She was growing impatient with him. He could sense it in her mind. The thought made him smile before he sunk his fangs into her soft flesh. Her breath caught as pleasure hit him hard. He'd never tasted anything as sweet and addicting as this.

It was like warm honey on his tongue. He could feel the bond between them grow even stronger as he reveled in the taste of her ancient bloodline. Just like in his fantasy her fingers were soon tangled in his black hair, cradling his head to her as he fed.

His hands traced her back, feeling the soft skin under his hands. He traced her spine until he was cupping her firm backside. He slowly pulled away and closed the wound with a long stroke of his tongue. His mouth placed gentle kisses and nips up her neck and chin until it unerringly found her mouth. One hand came up to cradle the back of her head as he took his time to re-explore her warm mouth.

Autumn's hands played across his bare back, tracing the scars of battles that he had lived through. Though Carpathians didn't scar easily, he had more than most. She traced every puckered line with gentle, almost loving, caresses. Dominic's body tightened painfully. His every instinct was to finish the ceremony like he had been unable to before. But still, she was so young…and had maintained such innocence that he was reluctant to take her so soon. He wanted her to love him first. Not because he was her lifemate, but because she loved him for _him. _He wasn't sure what distinction, if any, there was. But she deserved to be courted properly.

Slowly he pulled back, breaking the deep and rather scalding kiss. But he couldn't stop himself from bending down and catching her lips a few more times in briefer kisses. _There is little time left in the night, Cistri. Is there something you would like to do? _He asked her mentally because, truthfully, he did not trust his voice to remain steady.

She thought for several minutes as Dominic clothed himself and gave her new garments to wear. Suddenly an image of Raven sitting on one of the couches with a book in her lap filled his mind. "You wish to read?" Dominic asked. Autumn tilted her head to the side in confusion. "That is what she was doing, Cistri. Reading. I assume you do not know how to read…" He muttered the last part. He hadn't thought it possible for his anger at Xavier to grow but at every turn he was proven wrong. The neglect his lifemate had suffered was simply mindboggling.

Autumn seemed to note his annoyance and looked away from him. "No, Cistri. I am not angry with you. If you wish to read I can teach you how. There is nothing short of hurting or putting yourself in danger that I will not allow you try." He said forcing her to look at him again.

She studied him for a long minute before smiling. Green filled his vision again and then she was gone. Flitting out of the underground chamber like some fey creature of old. Dominic followed after her in a more subdued pace, but still fast enough to keep an eye on her as she darted around exploring the basement as they moved through it.

It was then that he heard it. She was humming. Low and pleasant to listen to. It was nothing compared to what he was sure her voice would sound like whenever she was able to use it. But it brought a smile to his face. It made his heart lighten to hear the gentle noises echoing from her shapely throat.

She darted up the stairs, skipping half of them as she went, and still Dominic followed behind her. It was odd that she seemed to know where she was going. But then she was so easily able to move through his mind perhaps she'd taken the floor plan out of his memories.

In a matter of moments they were in the library. The ancient bookcases were filled with even older books some were written in Latin some in more modern tongues. She went to a nearby bookcase and studied the jewel-toned and leather bindings. Autumn was still humming the same tune as she examined each spine.

A memory tugged at the back of Dominic's mind. The tune was familiar. He was sure he'd heard it before but he couldn't place where. "Pick whichever book you wish, Cistri." He said as he made his way to the loveseat that was nestled in the corner of the room. It was only a few moments before she grabbed a thick blue-bound book and practically skipped over to him.

He smiled at her exuberance. It was such a welcome change from the state he'd found her in. She curled up against his side on the leather couch and handed him the book. He glanced at the book in slight surprise. "Moby Dick…It's known as one of the classics of modern literature." He informed her.

Autumn traced the image of the massive white whale on the cover with wonder. "Shall we start, Cistri?" He asked softly. Green filled his mind and he opened the cover to the first page.


	14. Chapter 13

~*~*~*~

_"You have quite the dark side to your personality…don't you my dear?" Xavier's voice was always mocking as he spoke to her. He could see the absolute loathing that hid behind her navy eyes. "You're in many ways worse than a male, you realize."_

_"Go ahead and revel to yourself at how well you have molded that side of me, Xavier. But know that you are utterly worthless to me. Less than nothing." She said flicking a wayward clump of dark hair away from her face. At ten years old she was already well aware of Xavier's triggers. He hated her and her inherent skills. The feeling was mutual._

_Unsurprisingly, Xavier's face darkened at her words. "Perhaps you need another lesson in manners."_

_Autumn laughed at his threat. "Beat me all you wish…it doesn't change what you are."_

_"And what am I?" Xavier growled. It was so easy to forget that Autumn Dubrinsky was only ten years old. She was so very advanced, too grown for her body. _But then_, he supposed, _that had been his own fault.

_"You? You are a speck that will soon be erased from the face of this planet." She stated with another laugh. She was finding a great deal of amusement in his anger. She didn't even mind that he would take his anger out on her; she was enjoying this too much._

_Xavier snarled slightly as he looked down at where she was sitting on the floor. Her wrists were, once again, shackled to the wall behind her but she barely seemed to notice. Nor did she bother to acknowledge the bruises that marred her arms, legs and face. "You used to be such a meek child…" He muttered in annoyance._

_She raised an eyebrow in amusement. It was true. Up until she was eight she had been much more docile, never inviting his anger upon her, but that had changed quite suddenly. Autumn wasn't going to sit there and cower anymore. She couldn't remember what precisely had caused the change but she had no desire to go back to the way things were. "I thought you hated sniveling brats, Xavier."_

_The wizard scoffed. "Don't presume to understand me, wretch."_

_"Of course not." Autumn said her voice dripping with sarcasm._

_Xavier growled at her as he moved to where a laboratory table was set up with a variety of bubbling toxins. "Now, be quite or I shall remove your voice box."_

_"Aww…but then who would you have these wonderful little sparring matches with, Xavier?" she asked feigning sympathy and caring. "The Vampires? They have little of any interest to say…you've said so yourself. All they do is bemoan their lack of soul. And you do so _love_ to hear yourself talk."_

_Suddenly a glass beaker shattered by her head; followed by bright blue liquid oozing down the wall. That was the only warning she had before her head snapped to the side, blood welling up in her mouth. She licked at the spot of her gums that had burst as she shook her hair out of her face and straightened. Xavier was glaring down at her fire erupting from his eyes. "You will watch your tongue or I will see how well you do without it in your bastard mouth."_

_"Hmmm...If I recall _you_ are the one without a father, Xavier." She said thoughtfully._

_"You seem to have a death wish tonight, my dear." Xavier hissed._

_Autumn moved to lean against the cold wall. "You will not kill me." She said confidently. "You need me. Otherwise you'd have killed me ages ago."_

_"We shall see, Autumn. It will only be a few years longer before you are fully grown…body wise at least." Xavier said turning away from the suddenly wary ten year old._

_"What does that matter?" She asked eyes narrow and expression guarded._

_"Ah ah ah…I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise, Princess." Xavier said with a chuckle. For the first time in a long while Autumn was unsure how to take that comment. Something about it frightened her, though she was hardly scared of Xavier anymore. It was something primal and unsettling. She decided she would have to try and escape her prison sooner as opposed to later._

Autumn blinked, shaking her memories off her mind as she looked out over the misty woods. Her mind raced as she tried to puzzle her current predicament out to a suitable solution. She knew things about Xavier's little plot to wipe her people off the face of the earth. And yet every time she reached for the words pain lanced through her mind.

No matter how hard she thought she couldn't remember the specific incident that had stolen her voice from her. She never used to have this problem. It had actually been the complete opposite; she could almost speak _too _well for her age. She sighed in frustration, burying the emotion behind layers of other thoughts so that Dominic wouldn't catch it.

As far as the handsome green-eyed man knew she was wandering his home with stars in her eyes as he hunted. The night before she had spent a long time looking down at that book, listening to his soothing voice as he read to her. She had quickly grasped a few of the more common words and she could place images to the names but some of them were positively mind-boggling.

Autumn sighed and sent her consciousness flaring out across the woods. She could feel the different animals scurrying around searching for food or shelter for the night that had so quickly set upon them. Sensing nothing out of the ordinary she easily vaulted over the railing of the balcony, landing crouched like a cat two stories below.

She straightened and wandered towards the greenhouse that was sitting a few yards away. The dirt and soft grass was a comfort against her bare feet. Autumn wandered into the greenhouse, touching the healthy leaves and testing the soil with her fingertips. It was some of the richest earth she had felt and the plants were mostly healing herbs that she vaguely recognized from Dominic's memories.

The sound of bubbling water caught her attention and following it she found a medium sized fountain in the middle of the building. It was made of stone with a few ancient symbols carved into the marble surface. Pure water bubbled from the hand of some ancient fairy before falling into a pool. The pool then overflowed into another larger basin before starting the cycle again.

Autumn sat on the side of the larger basin and dipped her fingers in the cool water. She drew a few nonsensical designs in the water as she let the serenity of the room sooth her. With the possible exception of the Library of Wonders that was inside this greenhouse was already her favorite location. She had rarely felt so utterly calm and safe before.

She smiled a bit before the smile faded. She had to find some way to tell them. She owed it to them to tell them everything she knew. Her face set into a mask of concentration as she tried to figure out what lay in that void of her memories.

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**Like I said...last chapter just didn't want to be written, but that doesn't mean I wasn't writing out this chapter anyway. We are getting more in depth here with Autumn's past. She's not as cute and innocent as everyone tends to see her as, she can be quite calculating when the need arises. And now we know that her speech problems aren't natural at all. I told you it'd get more interesting yeah? **


	15. Chapter 14

~*~*~*~

She was still staring down at the water of the fountain when Dominic came to her nearly a half an hour later. She had made very little progress on figuring out what Xavier had done to her voice. Every time she probed her own memories shards of glass ripped through her head making her tremble and dots of red to appear on her forehead.

"Cistri…" Dominic instantly noticed the toll she had taken upon herself and he was upset. She has lost so much energy and was in constant pain that she had somehow managed to block from him. "Cistri, stop this I cannot bare to see you in such pain." He muttered, crouching down to at a less threatening position to her. It was the utter truth, they both could feel the way his heart wrenched at the blood that dotted her skin.

Dominic took her hand in his and kissed it in an old-worldly sign of affection. It was barely a skim of his lips across her skin but she felt it like a sledgehammer and her concentration on her own memories wavered before vanishing like smoke. Autumn gave him an annoyed look.

"I cannot allow you to harm yourself, Cistri. Nor will you ever keep such pain from my knowledge again." He didn't mean for it to come out quite like that but he couldn't help it. She had terrified him by hiding her pain. He wasn't even certain how she had managed it. It didn't seem possible.

This time Autumn had a full blown scowl. In her mind she cycled through image after image but failed to come up with one that would express her opinion of that sentence. Her scowl deepened into that of pure frustration. Dominic's own expression softened. "Cistri…you look so much more beautiful when you smile." He whispered as his fingertip traced the curve of her jaw.

She trembled slightly at his touch. The slight distraction was all Dominic needed to once again fully merge his mind with hers. He nearly staggered backwards. The urge to vomit was pushed aside as he moved to sit behind her on the fountain's edge. His fingers rubbed her temples, letting healing energy ease the tortuous ache that she was fighting against.

Autumn sighed as the pain and nausea she had pushed aside faded away under Dominic's soothing fingers. She leaned back and rested against his chest as he muttered a healing chant into her ear. _Why would you do such a thing, Autumn? Why do you not tell me of your pain? It is my duty and joy as your life mate to always take care of you._

Frustration was foremost in her mind. He followed her mental path back through what she had done; trying to find what had created it. His hands rubbed her up and down her arms as he explored the memories that were distressing her. Dominic found himself marveling at her. For one so young she had a will of an ancient, but then he had already experienced that. She pushed aside discomfort and pain so that she could think with an almost detached cadence. Her mind could plan ahead so far and readjust to tiny slivers of information it almost seemed like she knew what was going to happen before it did. Her curiosity was entirely insatiable and she thrived on learning things. And puzzles. She couldn't resist puzzles and that was how she chooses to view her challenges. He smiled a bit when he realized that she had been puzzling over him as well. Apparently he was a challenge. He'd have to remember that.

So absorbed in Autumn's complex mind he didn't notice that she was watching him carefully. Every reaction was noted as a clue and filed away for later thought. She wanted to figure him out. There was something elusive about him that she was trying to understand. But she was confident she would figure it out sooner or later. She always did.

Dominic frowned when he noticed something odd in Autumn's mind. Something that had been locked away. As he examined it closer he felt Autumn's frustrations spike. Slowly he came back to himself and opened his eyes. "This is what has been bothering you, Cistri?" He asked.

Green filled his mind along with a locked and barred door. She made a sound of frustration directed at the door before the image faded. Unfortunately Dominic was not an expert in healing of the mind. An unwelcome feeling of helplessness overtook him. "Perhaps the healer could be of some assistance to us." Red flashed in his mind before he even finished the sentence. Gregori's face appeared in his mind followed by a feeling of annoyance. Dominic actually laughed aloud. A deep chuckle that sent heat racing through Autumn's veins. "I do not think anyone has referred to Gregori as annoying before. With the possible exception of your sister, of course. But if you do not wish the healer to help us then what do you want? I cannot allow you to suffer through such pain again."

Still firmly entrenched in Autumn's mind he could feel it spring into action. It whirled as information was cycled and discarded if it was no longer necessary. Dominic found himself in awe as plans were formed and set off to the side if she deemed them incorrect. Hundreds of scenarios played out in her head as she thought through each plan and considered. He'd never met anyone with such an intriguing way of looking at things. She considered everything at least twice before making a prompt decision; there was no hesitation.

Dominic knew from experience that most people thought on a very linear path. But Autumn circled through options almost simultaneously. She even thought about the results of her options as she came up with them. It didn't seem possible to surprise her since she already thought about possible outcomes. He smiled and a feeling of pride filled his chest. She was so smart. She was going to keep him on his toes; that was certain.

Finally she settled on one idea and her mind slowed to a more natural rhythm. _Lara. _Whispered though his mind. It was her life mate's voice. A single word taken from Dominic's memories.

Dominic's brow furrowed. "You wish to ask Lara for help?" Green filled his mind. Dominic sighed; he wasn't sure how he felt about that idea. He knew that Nicolas, Lara's life mate, was like most males of their race. Highly protective. And Lara's gifts tended to have a draining and unpleasant effect on his niece. He was reluctant to ask her for help if it meant suffering for either female.

And yet, Dominic could not seem to find any other reason to resist the idea. Lara had intimate knowledge of Xavier's methods and had already solved the mystery of the problems they were having reproducing. Sensing his reluctance Autumn offered him another option. _Natalya. _It was another voice from Dominic's memories.

"You seem adamant about asking one of my nieces for help as opposed to the healer." Dominic commented.

Autumn shrugged before slipping away and flitting off towards the main house. _Do not think you will escape so easily, Cistri. There is no hiding from me, you know. _A soft laugh filled his mind and his body clenched painfully and unexpectedly. He needed her so badly, to feel her around him, to hold her in his arms as he explored every inch of creamy skin. Lust rose sharply in his mind and he sensed Autumn become very still, like a small animal scenting a predator nearby. With an impatient growl he pushed the need for her away. There was plenty of time for such things, he had waited for her for centuries, he could wait a bit longer to share he beautiful body.

He could sense the trepidation in Autumn's mind. She was puzzling over him again but had become very wary. Trying to put her at ease he sent her waves of warmth and affection through their link. _If you are more comfortable seeking Lara for help and not Gregori I can do no other than accommodate you, Cistri._

Slowly Autumn relaxed and continued towards the main house. Dominic took a deep breath before beginning to follow his life mate. He didn't like the fact that he had scared her but at the same time the demands of his body and the beast barely leashed in his mind were becoming more and more difficult to ignore. The need to complete the ritual was beating at him relentlessly.


	16. Chapter 15

**Okay, This one is gonna be a bit confusing. It introduces a new character who brings a bunch of new questions most of which will be answered in the next chapter so bare with me here. Ah and could someone give me a run down of the Malinovs age wise...I can't remember where all of them fit in...**

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~*~*~*~

Autumn woke at the slight disturbance in the air. It wasn't close enough to trip any of the safeguards that Dominic had placed but she felt the presence of another. A familiar presence.

After a moment, she detangled herself from Dominic's arms and made her way out of the sleeping chamber. Judging from the way her body was still sluggish and heavy the sun was still an hour or so before setting. It shouldn't be bad enough to burn her skin immediately but it would be far from comfortable.

Picking an image out of Dominic's memories she built up heavy storm clouds so that her skin would be better protected. Autumn Dubrinsky may not know how to read but she was proficient in many other ways. If only Dominic would realize that. Maybe he wouldn't be quite so protective.

Autumn made her way outside, keeping the clouds dark and ominous overhead. The familiar presence was lingering just outside of the safeguards. Waiting most likely. Autumn smiled faintly before taking off running into the forest. She couldn't run at full speed, her eyes streamed and her skin was slightly pink from the rays of the sun that still penetrated the clouds, but she still made good time.

It wasn't too long before she stopped at the edge of the safeguards. She inhaled and could smell the familiar scent of cool caves and leather. Autumn smiled to herself, the smell hadn't changed a bit.

Dominic stirred slightly in her mind and Autumn quickly met his mental touch before he could fully realize how far from the house she had ventured. _Are you all right, Cistri? Why have you woken so early?_

Autumn gave him her standard answer of yes for the first question and a feeling of restlessness for the second. _Do you wish me to come to you? _He asked, worry tingeing his voice. Autumn smiled to herself, for some reason or another Dominic didn't like it when she was left alone. She sent him a flash of red to answer his question and withdrew.

"I take it he was worried about ya?" A warm voice asked.

Autumn opened her eyes and smiled at the newcomer. She was dressed down tonight. A white linen button down shirt that seemed just that much brighter against her tanned skin. A pair of worn out blue jeans and a pair of leather boots. Her chocolate hair was short and rather pixie-like and her warm honey colored eyes sparkled with good humor.

"Ah, damn it's good to see ya again, Princess." The new woman said taking a quick step forward and pulling Autumn into a bone-crushing hug. "Soon as I heard you got out I started looking for ya."

The woman pulled away and held Autumn at arms length to study her with appraising eyes. After a minute she smiled, showing a flash of bright white teeth. "Don't you just look the best I've ever seen ya. I'm glad ya got outta there, Princess, but ya could have given me a little warnin'. Ya had Xavier throwing a hissy fit like no tomorrow."

Autumn rolled her eyes at the other woman. The brunette sighed and gently slapped her own hand. "I know, I know, stop worrying Annalise. But ya can't blame me, Squirt, ya always manage to get into trouble."

Autumn grabbed the other woman's hand and pulled back towards the mansion. Annalise had been the only friendly face she'd ever seen before Dominic's and she wanted her friend to meet her lifemate. Annalise pulled back slightly though. "Ah, I'm not so sure, Squirt. I tend to _avoid _hunters if at all possible. And Xavier'll notice I'm gone soon. I really shouldn't give him a reason to send by beloved sire after me."

Autumn frowned before folding her arms over her chest. Annalise didn't seem particularly moved. "It's not gonna happen, Autumn. Besides, I have a den o' crazies to keep control of. I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

Suddenly Dominic materialized between them, pushing Autumn behind him protectively. His eyes flashed with red flames as he glared at the newcomer. His birthmark burned in warning but he was confused. He could sense a shadow over this woman and yet…she didn't appear a deranged vampiress that he had assumed her to be.

The brunette took several hasty steps back, hand turning into talons in front of her. Dominic kept Autumn firmly behind him. "Who are you?" He all but growled. Autumn placed a gentle hand on his arm as she flooded him with her trust of the woman.

"My name's Annalise Pearson." She said taking another small step backwards.

Dominic's eyes narrowed. He'd heard the name before. From some of the looser lipped vampires when he was walking among them. "You work for Xavier." He stated, daring her to contradict him.

"Well, not by choice." She replied unhappily.

"How did you find this place?" Dominic demanded.

Annalise sighed and pointed to Autumn. "We have a bond. I used it."

Autumn finally managed to get around Dominic and gave him a hard shove with an annoyed glare. An image floated to Dominic through their private path. Annalise crouched over a very weak and very young Autumn. But all the brunette did was slice her own wrist open and replenish some of the massive volume of blood that she had lost. "I hope she had good things to say about me." Annalise said with a crooked smile.

Dominic frowned but reluctantly lowered his guard some. Autumn trusted this woman he couldn't just attack her without clear reason. Not that he liked it mind you. But once glance at Autumn's dark blue eyes and he knew he wouldn't win the argument. "I think, Cistri, your father would like to meet your _friend." _Dominic said, eyes never straying from Annalise's face.


	17. Chapter 16

**A/N: This is only part one of Annalise's explaination/story time. It's a rather lot of explaining she has to do after all.**

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"I met Malinov in Oklahoma. 1878." Annalise started casting a quick glance around the room. She was sitting on the couch with Dominic, Mikhail, and Gregori all staring her down with carefully blank faces. Autumn was curled up on the wing chair and looking mildly annoyed about it. "I was only concerned with keeping my little saloon running when he burst in and slaughtered all my customers before turning on me."

Autumn stirred slightly but settled again after Dominic glanced in her direction. "I took a shotgun off the wall and unloaded two shots point blank into his chest. I don't really think I need to tell you how well that worked out."

"Which Malinov?" Dominic asked.

Annalise frowned. "What do you mean?"

"There are several Malinov Brothers. Which was the one that attacked you?" Mikhail clarified.

Annalise shook her head. "I didn't know he had brothers. He never has been very forthcoming with information. I just know his name is Malinov, he's old as sin, and looks like death with a smell to match." She said not terribly surprised that her sire had kept his brothers from her knowledge.

"Anyway, about five or so years of dragging me around gods green earth he dropped me off with a bunch of other women. But these were different. Crazy as all hell. But they taught me a hell of a lot more than Malinov ever did." Annalise said rubbing her hands absently. "Took me a couple of decades but I worked myself up the ranks until I was in charge. Been there ever since."

"A den of Vampiress'?" Mikhail looked vaguely skeptical. "How could such a thing escape our notice?"

Annalise smiled mischievously. "That would be my doing. Before I took over we had to move around like mad to keep from being found by you hunters. But I keep a tight leash on the girls. A lower profile then you'll find anywhere on the other side of vampirism."

"How many like you are there in this…den?" Gregori asked taking a step out of the shadows to be more visible to her.

"We call it a Coven." She corrected. "And counting me?" She looked up to the ceiling and looked to be counting in her head. "There would be…two. Most are stark raving lunatics."

"And you know my daughter how?" Mikhail practically growled, eyes narrowing dangerously.

Annalise regarded him coldly for a minute. "Ease off, Princey-pie, and I'll tell ya." Mikhail looked completely flabbergasted at the slur on his title. "It was about…I'd say what? Twelve years ago now?" She looked to Autumn.

Autumn thought for a minute before nodding in agreement. "Right. Twelve years ago I was called in by Xavier to deliver a message to Malinov. Occasionally we women are called to do that sort of thing when our respective sires aren't easily reachable. Anyway, I get the message from Xavier and am about to head out when I see Autumn a bloody mess on the ground. Poor thing near enough ripped my heart out at her state, so I decided to help her." She sent Autumn a small smile. "Been sorta unable to keep up with her though, Xavier doesn't like it when I come by."

"Why not?" Gregori asked.

Surprisingly, it was Dominic who answered. "She has a habit of turning Vampires against him. Nobody has been able to figure out how she does it so Xavier banned her from coming near his lairs."

Annalise smiled a bit. "Vampires are easy. They all want the same thing. Power. And they're fools enough to believe I'll give it to them."

"So you were aiding my daughter?" Annalise nodded. "How?"

The brunette shrugged. "Taught her a few tricks. Healing mostly. Almost got her out of there once…if she had followed the plan she would have escaped easily. But her bleeding heart got in the way." She said casting a faux-annoyed look at the younger woman. Autumn smiled embarrassedly.

Mikhail glanced at his daughter before turning back to Annalise. "What do you mean _almost_ escaped? What happened?"

Annalise sighed. "I turned the vampire guard that was to keep an eye on her to my persuasion. He let her out of the shackles and she was _supposed _to come to me and I'd get her back here. _But _she saw what became of them children and she hesitated too long."

"What children?" Gregori asked, eyes flashing silver flames at the woman.

"The Slayers." Seeing the blank look on their faces Annalise sighed. "Little help Autumn?"

Autumn summoned up the image of the reptilian eye in the black diamond. "The creatures that were chasing us." Dominic stated. That symbol was unmistakable and the memory of how the earth died as they passed was clearly etched on his mind.

Annalise nodded. "They're seven of them. Four girls. Three boys. They were…an experiment. " She glanced over at Autumn who was staring at the floor with a forlorn look. Annalise carefully chose her words before continuing; "Xavier created them for the sole purpose of tracking down and killing Hunters."

"When Autumn was supposed to escape she came across them and gave them some of her own blood to try and combat what Xavier was doing. That's why she can influence them some, not a lot mind you. Just enough to count." Annalise explained. "But giving them her blood slowed her down and she was recaptured soon after."

"You should have aided her more." Dominic said icily. "Gone to her when your puppet released her."

Annalise shot him a sour look. "No, I couldn't. Xavier's got all sorts of alerts for my presence. The minute I come near that place, every vampire knows it. I'd have just made it _harder_ to escape."

"And we are to believe this story?" Mikhail asked not sounding convinced.

"Why don't you just ask Autumn?" Annalise asked back.

"She cannot speak." Dominic said eyes narrowed at the woman.

Annalise scoffed, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "Then you aint listening right." She got to her feet and brushed the non-existent wrinkles off her shirt. "Anyway, I have a coven that'll be missing me if I don't go now. It's been a dream, really, but I think I'll head out."

"We cannot allow you to leave." Mikhail said firmly. "And we will stop you if you try."

Annalise sighed and sat back down, she wasn't stupid enough to challenge three fully-grown Carpathian hunters. "Men." She huffed.


	18. Chapter 17

**After this there's only one more chapter before Annalise goes bye-bye for a while. Sorry all but she's not the main character. Though if I ever get that far she is the main character of the sequel once I get this done. Anyway, sorry for the wait but school is slamming me and all that fun stuff...reality sucks...**

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~*~*~*~

Annalise sighed and rubbed her forehead tiredly. "Listen boys, I appreciate the whole 'protect the estrogen' thing you got going on here but I seriously cannot stay here."

Dominic raised an eyebrow. "Protect the estrogen?" He echoed.

"Ya, where ya do everything in your considerable power to keep us defenseless little girls outta trouble an all." She explained sarcastically. "But that's not the point. The point is, if I don't get back to the Coven you're as good as screwed."

Mikhail frowned. "And how do you figure that?"

Annalise scratched behind her ear as she gathered herself for her explanation. "Who have you been fighting non-stop for several decades?"

"I take it you're asking this for some reason? Seeing as the answer is blaringly obvious?" Gregori asked dully.

Annalise waved absently. "Humor me."

"Xavier." Dominic answered after a minute of silence.

"And who is Xavier allied with?" Annalise asked.

"The Malinov brothers."

"Who are what?" Annalise seemed to be enjoying the questions that she was asking while the three men were quickly growing annoyed. Everyone _knew _all the answers to these ridiculous questions.

Autumn hid her amused smile behind her hand as the same annoyed look crossed her father, lifemate, and brother-in-law's faces. "Vampires." Dominic answered in an almost growl. "Can we get to the point?"

"I'm getting there. I'm getting there." Annalise said with a wide smile. "Now…who _haven't _you seen fighting with Xavier that one might logically expect to see?" She asked.

This time the men paused for several minutes, as the answer was less obvious than the previous ones. "Vampiresses." Gregori finally answered.

"Precisely." Annalise said happily. "I've been keeping the women out of the fight. But Xavier and Malinov have been trying to convince my girls to join them and bolster their numbers. While a few dozen may not seem like much now, just wait for a fight and you'll see the scales of power tip a bit."

"And why is that?" Mikhail asked.

Annalise sighed "Because, vampiresses are a completely different beast than vampires. The women are outnumbered and always have been. So in order to survive the traitorous ways of the vampires, the women work in groups. Where vampires'll sacrifice each other to kill a hunter we women won't. We'd rather run and travel in groups where it's harder to kill us. Alone, we cannot face a Hunter. Together, we feed off each other's power and can quickly overwhelm you. Xavier knows this and is trying to convince my Coven to join him."

"Adding to his forces." Gregori finished. Annalise nodded in agreement. "And how will your presence stop this from happening?"

"My girls listen to me." Annalise said simply. She got to her feet again. "I can stay a rising. Maybe two. But I will have to go. There's simply no other way around it. You can either let me go, or I'll call my Coven and they will fight you to get me back. I'll give you the night to make up your mind." She said pulling Autumn out of the chair by the hand. "Now, if you men will excuse us. Me and Autumn are going to go chat a bit while you confer with each other."

Without waiting for a reply, Annalise pulled Autumn out of the room and out to the garden. Autumn laughed as soon as the door closed behind them. Annalise joined in, albeit much louder than the younger girl. "I thought they'd never let us escape that interrogation. Honestly, you surely do know how to keep things interesting."

Autumn smiled in reply before moving off to wander through the twisting paths that led from the back door of the house to the greenhouse and into the woods. Autumn glanced over her shoulder and saw Annalise inspecting her carefully. "You're welcome." She said at length.

Autumn sighed and nodded. Annalise caught up with her friend and they walked several feet before the image of the Slayers appeared in Annalise's mind. "They were all fine last I heard. I hear they miss you though. Probably won't take much prodding for Xavier to get them to follow you."

Autumn's mind raced. If they followed her here they would be killed! She couldn't bear the thought of it.

"Easy, now, Squirt. Xavier won't be sending them anytime soon. Not with your man in there keeping his eyes on you." Annalise said pointing towards the house with her thumb. "He won't risk losing them."

The younger woman replayed the short encounter they'd had as she had escaped with Dominic, Gregori, Jacques, and Aiden. She sent the memories to Annalise through their link and the brunette sighed. "You know fire won't hurt them too much, Autumn. They're probably already healed."

Suddenly Annalise stopped and put a hand on Autumn's shoulder. "Squirt, you need to tell him about them. I know you're voice aint workin' right, right now. But that's not an excuse. He needs to know if he ever ends up havin' to fight them."

Autumn's eyes widened at the thought. She hadn't thought about that possibility yet. If it did happen that Dominic had to fight the Slayers…what would she do? Her loyalties were divided between the children that never had a chance and the man she was already more fond of than she was ready to admit.

"Autumn, ya want me to tell him 'fore I leave?" Annalise asked softly. If possible Autumn's eyes grew bigger. She didn't want Dominic to know anything at all about the Slayers. "Autumn, Squirt, ya can't leave him in the dark about this one. He'll find out sooner or later. Wouldn't it be nice to not be caught off guard for once?"

Autumn looked off to the side as her mind whirled with different possibilities. Even if she could speak she doubted that she would be able to tell Dominic the truth about the Slayers. But Annalise had a point. If he ever had to fight them face-to-face he'd find out and she didn't want him to have to find out that way.

She sighed and let green seep across their mental link. Annalise nodded and linked her elbow with her young friend's. "I'll tell him for you then. 'Fore I leave tomorrow. And I will be leaving, whether those men like it or not." She stated as the two women wandered through the garden aimlessly.


	19. Chapter 18

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"Dominic right?" Annalise asked looking over at her young friend's lifemate. "I need a word if you aren't too busy plotting ways to keep me here."

Dominic frowned a bit. He hadn't been _plotting. _He had just gotten back from hunting and had been on his way to waken Autumn who -for once- hadn't woken before him. He hadn't even spoken to Mikhail or Gregori since last rising. "I suppose, if it's important, I can spare a moment." He said gesturing to the empty library that he had been about to pass.

Annalise nodded and entered the library with a strange overly exaggerated confidence. "You are not very good at pretending to not be nervous." Dominic commented as he followed her inside.

"I'm not nervous…well, not for me anyway." She said as she wandered over to the nearest bookshelf and sightlessly scanned the titles. It was something to keep herself from looking at those unnerving green eyes that she was sure was trying to pierce her soul and figure out all of her secrets. She didn't much like that.

"Then why are you nervous?" Dominic asked as he leaned against the doorframe. To the untrained eye he might have looked relaxed.

Annalise sighed and dared looking over at the Dragonseeker. "I'm nervous 'cause I really wanted Autumn ta be the one ta tell ya this kinda stuff."

Dominic's eyes flashed and he stirred slightly from his spot against the doorframe. "What kind of 'stuff'?" He nearly growled. If Autumn was involved he was going to let Annalise waste time with her little games. Autumn always came first.

"There was a…detail 'bout the Slayers I maybe…glazed over a bit. I wanted to ask Autumn 'bout it first, see." Annalise began as she twisted her hair around her fingers into a tight curl.

"The creatures Xavier made? What about them?"

Annalise frowned. "Ah, you, uh…migh' wanna lay off the 'creature' talk. Autumn won't like it much."

Dominic's eyes narrowed with impatience. "Annalise, what is this about?"

"Alright, alright, keep yer pants on." Annalise said before turning and walking over to the couch she had been sitting in last night. She sat down with a slight _thud_ and a sigh. "'Member how I said Xavier made the Slayers?"

"Yes."

"Well, see, he made 'em after a bunch of experiments on Autumn. He said something about her bloodline being connected to all the Carpathians and being able to use that as a weapon." Annalise started.

Dominic's beast roared for vengeance. That…_wizard _had used his bastard combination of magic and science on Autumn! Flames leapt to life in his eyes and he had to struggle to fight down the need to hunt down and kill Xavier. From the look of apprehension on Annalise's face she wasn't done yet. "What did he do to her?" He demanded in an almost growl.

"I don't know –not entirely!" She quickly added seeing the flames jump to new heights in those very unnerving green eyes.

"Then guess." Dominic snapped.

Annalise sighed. "Somehow he came to the decision that the only way to use Autumn's bloodline was to create beings that _shared _Carpathian blood. _Her _blood. The Slayers…are her children, Dominic."

He didn't even remember moving and Annalise certainly didn't see him, but suddenly she was pinned to the bookcase with his hand clamped around her throat and his fangs gleaming dangerously. "You lie!" He hissed.

Annalise choked and tried to pry his fingers from her neck. "N-no. Lis…listen!"

"I would have known had they been her children!" Dominic growled, eyes seeming to glow red with his rage.

"Dominic." Mikhail's voice was soft yet commanding. "Let her go, Dominic."

Dominic forced his fingers to loosen and Annalise dropped to the ground coughing and rubbing her throat. Dominic paced the length of his library before whipping around. "I would have known!"

Annalise shook her head. "He's…he's done too much to change them." She said getting slowly to her feet. She glanced over at Mikhail who had positioned himself in-between Dominic and herself. His expression was completely unreadable unlike Dominic's who was nearly out of control with his rage and disbelief. She had no idea when he had arrived and even less of how much he had heard of the discussion. "They're six now…all of them."

"How is that possible?" Mikhail asked quietly. For just a moment his eyes shimmered with an emotion that Annalise couldn't quite place. "Carpathians can't…we do not have children so close together." Apparently he had heard enough to understand what was going on.

Annalise sighed and cleared her sore throat. "Ever heard of Artificial Insemination?" She asked. Mikhail nodded. "Well, he used his own brand of it. Took a bunch of Autumn's…er…ya know eggs and used them to make the Slayers." She said awkwardly.

Dominic's eyes were still blazing anger. "And then experimented on them as well?" Annalise nodded. "And, why wouldn't Autumn tell me this? Why are you the one to explain this?" He demanded.

"Because…I'd venture to say she was afraid to tell you." Annalise said rubbing the darkening ring around her neck. "Ya aint exactly acting like a sane man right now, ya know."

"Are you suggesting I'd hurt, Autumn?" Dominic growled.

Annalise took a cautious step back but Mikhail stepped even further between them. "Dominic, go see to my daughter." It was an order but one Dominic was more than willing to follow.

Dominic dissolved and streamed through the house. As he reformed in the underground chamber he brought Autumn's sleeping body to the surface; cleaning every fleck of dirt from her skin, hair, and clothes instantly. The rage melted away as he knelt down next to her.

She was so beautiful it almost hurt to imagine what she'd been through. Dominic put a gentle hand to her cheek. He loved the feel of her skin, it was so soft and smooth it almost didn't seem possible. He sent a gentle command to wake and leaned down to catch the first breath that rushed through her lungs. Instantly she responded to his kiss, allowing him to trace every dip of her mouth.

After a minute, he reluctantly pulled away to look down at her. She smiled at him and his eyes softened to green velvet. How could she still smile? It was a miracle. _She _was a miracle. "_Cistri, _is it true?" He asked softly.

At first Autumn looked confused but then her face fell a bit and she pushed herself into a sitting position. Her silence was enough of an admission. "Oh, _Cistri…_" He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly against his chest. Only then could he feel the tremors that ran through her body. "You should have told me…"

Dominic felt his shirt becoming wet where she buried her face in his chest and his heart broke apart. "Don't cry, Autumn. I cannot bare it when you cry." He whispered before kissing the top of her head. But her silent tears didn't relent, if anything they grew worse. Dominic felt completely helpless and he hated it. He wanted to take away all of her heartache and make her smile like she had just a few moments ago. "Shh, _Cara…"_

He gently rocked her in his arms and whispered sweet nothings that she barely heard. She clung tighter to his shirt and Dominic ran his fingers through her hair as he tightened his hold on her shaking body.


	20. Chapter 19

**A/N: I am soooo sorry it's taking me so long to update my stories but life comes first and college is a bummer...anyway let's not delay any longer!**

**Edit: sorry if you get an alert twice...but nothing's showing up for me so I decided to reupload this chapter...**

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It had been two risings since Dominic had agreed to ask Laura to help with Autumn's speech difficulties. He'd asked both Laura and Natalia though, certain that at least one of their lifemates would steadfastly refuse. But the Dragonseeker was mildly surprised when both Natalia and Laura agreed to come in three days to help and there was 'nothing their Konan the Barbarian wannabe lifemates could say to change their minds' to use Natalia's colorful phrasing.

That meant that tomorrow the two couples would be arriving and they would hopefully get to the bottom of this rather distressing mystery of Autumn's vocal problems. But Dominic was still slightly wary about this entire idea. There were a few too many unknowns for his liking. This was his lifemate's health they were talking about; he couldn't help but worry endlessly over it.

Annalise had disappeared just like she had said she would. Autumn had seemed amused when Dominic and Mikhail had realized that she had left without their knowledge and Dominic had heard his lifemate's laughter in his mind on more than one occasion as they searched for the woman. It had been rather…frustrating to say the least.

He looked down at the slight woman curled up next to him. They had developed a slight routine over the past few days. Every night at around One o'clock they would both sit on the leather couch and Dominic would continue teaching Autumn to read; though more often than not the 'lesson' would devolve into him simply reading to her. Tonight was no exception.

Autumn pointed to one of the words in the book and looked up at him expectantly. "Beach, it's where the land and sea meet and usually sandy." He defined the word and provided a mental image for her. She always seemed to understand better when he gave her an image to study.

Autumn nodded a bit and turned back to the book. Dominic smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head before starting to read aloud again. Her fascination with the stories made it seem as if he were experiencing them for the first time. Everything seemed to take on a new life now that he'd found his lifemate. Things were brighter, more vibrant, more interesting, just more…everything.

She shifted a bit to rest her head against his chest and his heart leapt in response. His arm tightened around her waist, bringing her closer to his side. He couldn't help it. He felt as if he loosened his hold on her she'd simply melt away as if she'd never been there. It was a terrifying thought.

Suddenly Autumn sat up a bit and turned in his arms to more fully face him. "_Cistri?_ Is something wrong?"

Red filtered though their shared link but then was followed by a dim green. As if she wasn't sure of her own answer, which wasn't like her at all. "What's the matter?" Dominic asked putting the book to the side and brushing her bangs from her face. His own face appeared in his mind and his eyebrow shot up. "I'm the matter?"

She gave him green in answer. "And what is the matter with me?" He asked curiously. Autumn frowned and thousands of images filtered past, none of them seeming to fit what she was trying to communicate. Finally, Autumn sighed and opened her mind more fully to his.

Dominic's mind melded into hers seamlessly. Every emotion swamped his senses instantly. She liked him. More and more it every rising she liked him more (which he definitely enjoyed knowing). But she also was confused by him and Dominic quickly focused on that feeling.

Memories of the past few weeks entered his mind. Everything from removing her from her prison to their current positions on the couch with a book between them swam past him. It all confused her. Dominic pulled back from her mind even as he leaned forward to give her a reassuring kiss. He reluctantly pulled away before his lust for her could completely swamp him. She looked at him through her soulful blue eyes with a bit of confusion. "I do what I do, because I am your lifemate." Dominic said. "I swore on my life and soul to protect and cherish you and it is something that I take great pleasure in doing."

Autumn turned her head to the side slightly, looking as if she was trying to think of something. Dominic put a gentle hand under her chin and guided her head back towards him. "I do it because I love you, _Cistri._" He whispered.

Autumn's eyes widened and images raced through their linked minds as she tried to come up with an image to go with the word. Dominic cupped her cheek to bring her full attention back to him. "It is not something you can so easily define, _Cistri._ There is no one image that can accurately describe it."

She frowned a bit and Dominic bent forward to kiss it off her pretty face. He moved slowly, not wanting to frighten her, as he tasted the sweetness of her mouth. _You must feel love, _Cara. He whispered in her mind.

He sent her every shred of the emotion that he felt for her. Every heart wrenching moment when he realized she was in pain and alone. Every tiny thing she did that made him smile. How very beautiful he found her, inside and out.

Suddenly he felt something wet against his cheek and he pulled away to look at her. Tears were falling from her navy eyes almost uncontrollably. "_Cistri,_ do not cry." He whispered brushing the tears from her cheeks. "Please, do not cry, dearest."

Autumn sniffed a bit before wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder. Dominic shushed her gently and ran his fingers through her dark hair. "It's alright." He murmured. "Everything will be alright, _Cara. _I promise you."

He continued to sooth her for several minutes until her tears slowed to a stop. But even after she had stopped crying she clung to him. "Why did you cry, _Cistri?"_ Dominic asked softly as he rubbed soothing circles between her shoulder blades with his fingers.

Images filtered through his mind yet again. Utter blackness. It was cold and harsh and made him feel incredibly small and alone. Suddenly little dots of warm light appeared around him. Just enough for him to feel the warmth, though he had no idea what they were. Then, quite suddenly, a huge blaze appeared in front of him. The fire sent wave after wave of warmth and light out, nearly obliterating the blackness and filling it with a warm orangey color. The warmth seeped into his skin and brought a strange feeling of joy to settle in his stomach.

Dominic was about to ask what the images and feelings meant when they shifted and he was staring at himself. The orange fire seemed to radiate from his skin and glow from behind his eyes. The flame had become him.

Dominic pulled away from the visions and carefully pulled Autumn off his chest to cradle her face in his hands. "You are the light in my life as well, _Cistri."_ He said kissing her forehead. "My reason for living." He continued kissing one eyelid, followed by the other. "My everything." He finished before catching her mouth once again.


End file.
